NIH director claims budget cuts have prevented an Ebola vaccine
http://twitter.com/#!/sleepdoctorjoe/status/521488647254585344
Unconscionable? Yes, but that’s exactly what Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the NIH, did in this interview with Sam Stein of The Huffington Post:
Exclusive. NIH Dir. says Ebola vaccine would probably have been developed by now if not for budget cuts http://t.co/5QOpgD405m
— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) October 13, 2014
An excerpt from the linked to piece:
Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, said that a decade of stagnant spending has “slowed down” research on all items, including vaccinations for infectious diseases. As a result, he said, the international community has been left playing catch-up on a potentially avoidable humanitarian catastrophe.
“NIH has been working on Ebola vaccines since 2001. It’s not like we suddenly woke up and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, we should have something ready here,’” Collins told The Huffington Post on Friday. “Frankly, if we had not gone through our 10-year slide in research support, we probably would have had a vaccine in time for this that would’ve gone through clinical trials and would have been ready.”
It’s not just the production of a vaccine that has been hampered by money shortfalls. Collins also said that some therapeutics to fight Ebola “were on a slower track than would’ve been ideal, or that would have happened if we had been on a stable research support trajectory.”
“We would have been a year or two ahead of where we are, which would have made all the difference,” he said.
We knew this was coming, no?
And libs are doing their little happy dance over this latest report:
Gee, thanks, Republicans! CDC head: We'd Have Ebola Vaccine if Not for Budget Cuts. http://t.co/xUKdznZJ6J
— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) October 13, 2014
@PaulBegala How long before GOP blames cuts in funding that may have prevented Ebola vaccine on "Obama sequester"?
— All Things Democrat (@allthingsdem) October 13, 2014
@Of_Angelis So you are happier GOP cut NIH, delaying Ebola vaccine?
— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) October 13, 2014
NIH Director: We'd Probably Have An Ebola Vaccine If Not For Budget Cuts http://t.co/6A2cbXTUBx
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) October 13, 2014
Conservatives, however, disagree, and point to waste and other moronic NIH initiatives that have kept the NIH from doing its job:
Note govt regulatory agencies only recently expedited vaccine development… What took them so long? http://t.co/1hY5bzrTgA @TIMEHealth
— Pradheep Shanker MD (@Neoavatara) October 13, 2014
Here is link to NIH vaccine trial on Ebola… Not sure extra/lack of funding dramatically changed anything http://t.co/EOm58XMTar
— Pradheep Shanker MD (@Neoavatara) October 13, 2014
More on active, worldwide Ebola vaccine initiatives http://t.co/pLAsC03cJR
— Pradheep Shanker MD (@Neoavatara) October 13, 2014
We spent a BILLION dollars on a healthcare site that still isn't fully functional. Check for #Ebola vaccine $$ there. http://t.co/xmrjZSvr1c
— Prudence Paine (@PruPaine) October 13, 2014
Maybe @nih would have money for an #Ebola vaccine if it didn’t test origami condoms for rabbits? http://t.co/3StNsR8Dqy h/t @JimmyPrinceton
— DC Dude (@DCDude1776) October 13, 2014
Budget almost 2X since 2000: http://t.co/9sHHKZmWy7 MT @HuffPostPol: NIH Director: We'd probably have an Ebola vaccine if not 4 budget cuts
— AG (@AG_Conservative) October 13, 2014
Where CDC $$ goes: Bike lanes & farmer’s markets do little to combat dangerous diseases like Ebola, SARS or anthrax. http://t.co/7sGec9hJcJ
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) October 13, 2014
What do you think, @paulbegala? Lotsa money wasted by @NIH, @NIHDirector, no? Money that could have gone to Ebola stuff, no?
— Harry (@Tark31) October 13, 2014
Oh well what do you know, NIH has sent $90 Million in taxpayer $$ to China: http://t.co/PmzzZytfAh
— CounterMoonbat (@CounterMoonbat) October 13, 2014
Shorter NIH Director: Not enough $$ to study Ebola but we're experts on rabbit massage, fat lesbians and Seinfeld.
— CounterMoonbat (@CounterMoonbat) October 13, 2014
Yep, almost forgot. NIH spent $1.5 million to find out why lesbians are fat: http://t.co/isHpWEqhis
— CounterMoonbat (@CounterMoonbat) October 13, 2014
Tune in tomorrow for the latest!
Related:
Full Twitchy coverage on Ebola here.
Editor’s note: The title of this post has been changed.
