He warned in late October of that year that enforcing mandatory quarantines could discourage medical professionals from volunteering aid in stricken areas. Governors from both major parties had imposed mandatory 21-day quarantines on people returning from affected countries in efforts to prevent the spreading of the virus in the U.S.
"The best way to protect us is to stop the epidemic in Africa, and we need those health care workers -- so we do not want to put them in a position where it makes it very, very uncomfortable for them to even volunteer to go," he stated at the time.
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In an October 2014 interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd, Fauci failed to criticize both Govs. Andrew Cuomo, of New York, and Chris Christie, of New Jersey, over the quarantines – but however, warned that "we have to be careful that there aren't unintended consequences."
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"The best way to stop this epidemic is to help the people in West Africa," he told Todd. "We do that by sending people over there, not just from the U.S.A, but from other places. We need to treat them, returning people, with respect…They’re really heroes, so the idea that we’re being a little bit draconian, there are other ways to protect."
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Those other ways included various levels of monitoring, he decided.
"Go with the science," he said.
Ebola does not spread as easily as the coronavirus, but it carries a significantly higher death rate, with milder strains killing more than 50% of victims, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The Ebola virus is also not contagious until symptoms appear, while COVID-19 can be transferred through asymptomatic people.
Nonetheless, this year, Tel Aviv University in Israel selected Anthony Fauci, MD, as one of its 2021 Dan David Prize winners — a prestigious international award honoring those who've made significant cultural and societal contributions, NPR reported Feb. 15.
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This year, the awards focused on health and medicine. The awards committee selected Dr. Fauci for his contributions to HIV research, as well as playing a pivotal role in launching the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in 2003 — an initiative that's "saved millions of lives throughout the developing world," the awards committee said.
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Dr. Fauci was also recognized for his 36 years of NIAID leadership, which has responded to outbreaks of SARS, MERS, Ebola and COVID-19. Lastly, the awards committee underlined Dr. Fauci's support of novel vaccine approaches, such as mRNA vaccines, and his role amid the ongoing pandemic.
"As the COVID-19 pandemic unraveled, [Dr. Fauci] leveraged his considerable communication skills to address people gripped by fear and anxiety and worked relentlessly to inform individuals in the United States and elsewhere about the public health measures essential for containing the pandemic's spread," the awards committee said, according to NPR.
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