The Science Behind the Madness

Dr. Fauci, a leading U.S. health official during the Covid-19 pandemic, was known as a murderer during the AIDS crisis, so how can someone who let thousands die in the AIDS epidemic lead us through a pandemic?

In 1988 Larry Kramer, the co-founder of Gay Men’s Health Crisis, an organization created to help provide resources to AIDS patients, wrote a letter to Dr. Fauci called “An Open Letter to Dr. Anthony Fauci” criticizing his response to the AIDS epidemic. In this letter Kramer said “Your refusal to hear the screams of AIDS activists early in the crisis resulted in the deaths of thousands of queers” reflecting his belief that Dr. Fauci was following in the steps of President Reagan by avoiding the crisis altogether.

However, the relationship between Kramer and Dr. Facui changed as time went on. Eventually the AIDS activists “hail[ed] Fauci as a powerful mediator between them and the international scientific community” (Riotta). Scientists and activists alike have credited Dr. Fauci with the increase in number of patients receiving experimental treatments as he “amend[ed] the way the government conducts clinical drug trials” (Riotta).

Dr. Facui only knew so little at the beginning of the AIDS crisis, no one knew that it would amount to the deadly epidemic it did. Fauci expressed his original fear in an article with National Geographic as well as his thoughts on AIDS being known as the “gay disease” saying that “if you think a disease is going to confine itself to a particular group of people, I can’t trust what you’re doing” (Newcott).

Even as Dr. Fauci continued to work to help those with AIDS, he was still seen as a person to blame due to the White House’s lack of response to the ever growing epidemic. However, over time Fauci has gained more support in his efforts including the support from Kramer, now a close friend and a defender of Facui as the covid-19 pandemic has taken over. No matter one's personal opinions on Dr. Fauci, there is no denying that he played a role in the AIDS epidemic.

Article and Graphic by Emily Myers

Sources

Anthony Fauci Reflects On 40 Years Of HIV/AIDS Research. https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/fauci-40th-aids-anniversary/. Accessed 23 Mar. 2022.

Anthony Fauci: The Face of America’s Fight against Coronavirus - BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52027201. Accessed 23 Mar. 2022.

“Bound by Two Outbreaks: Fauci on Final Conversations with HIV Activist Larry Kramer.” NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/hiv-covid-19-dr-fauci-his-complicated-relationship-larry-kramer-n1241684. Accessed 23 Mar. 2022.

“Fauci Recalls the Terrifying Early Days of the AIDS Epidemic.” History, 3 June 2021, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/fauci-recalls-the-terrifying-early-days-of-the-aids-epidemic.

How Anthony Fauci Became America’s Doctor | The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/20/how-anthony-fauci-became-americas-doctor. Accessed 23 Mar. 2022.

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One-on-One with Dr. Fauci: ‘Expect the Unexpected.’https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/one-on-one-with-dr-fauci-expect-the-unexpected. Accessed 23 Mar. 2022