“I feel confident at this point that the appropriate public health measures are being taken to both investigate the outbreak and to contain it as much as possible. And I think hopefully over the next several days it will become much clearer what the [causative] agent is."
"Anyone who tries to predict the flu season based on early information doesn’t understand influenza very well. The case numbers are up early, but it's such a difficult disease to predict—I don't think we can say anything about how severe it may be."
"One day there will be another severe [influenza] pandemic like 1918 that will cost the world trillions of dollars in direct and indirect costs, not to mention the loss of millions of lives."
"I've seen more progress in developing a universal flu vaccine in the last three years than the last 30 years. There is very exciting research going on now in many parts of the world. It's the most fruitful time in influenza vaccine history."
"You don't go out and buy insurance with the idea that you want to have an accident. You buy insurance because in case you do have an accident you have it. Flu vaccines are kind of the same way. We get them hoping they’re going to work."
"What we need is [a] vaccine that can recognize stable parts of [the] flu virus and not be fooled by a changing flu virus that can still go in and create immune response from the host that will cover that."
"One of the challenges we’ve had is this climate of secrecy [surrounding Candida auris] I applaud this [New York release of hospital and nursing home data]. It's potentially a game changer because of the unique nature and consequences of dealing with this infection."
"I think we're a long way off from having a [CWD] test that is going to be done in the field. I think we have to be very careful about overpromising on that."
"Don’t stop hunting; please don’t stop hunting. If we did not end up having hunting in these areas, it [CWD] would only become a bigger problem. But if you are in an area like that [where CWD has been detected], we do think it's really important that you get the animal tested."
"It's fair to say Minnesota has done an incredible job [on CWD] on a relative lack of resources. This last legislative session did provide some additional resources, but it's one where we need federal activity and support soon. I mean, right now."
"That's why the [CIDRAP] website we have is such an important resource because it really is the one resource for current comprehensive and authoritative information on CWD for the world."
"Studies that were done 5 to 7 years ago looking at the potential for the transmission of this [CWD] prion to humans found, in many cases, at least the initial lab data didn't support that might happen. Those were well-done studies – really well-done studies. The problem is we have new strains today; they've emerged."
"It has to give us pause at this point to say, 'Yes, could it [CWD infection in humans] happen? It might, we don't know.' But it surely is more than just a theoretical risk."
"The [CWD] prions that are in these deer are of note in that they're changing, they're constantly mutating. In the mad cow situation, the prion was primarily in the ... brain and the spinal cord. Here in these deer ... there also are prions located in the lymphatic system; they're actually right in the muscle."
"If you look at Yemen, you look at Somalia, you look at Syria, you look at what's going on in Myanmar, they are countries under siege or failed states. This is what we need to expect."
