An ongoing dialogue on HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases,
October 28th, 2025
Two Covid Vaccine Studies — One Actionable, the Other Not So Much
As we await the results of placebo-controlled Covid-19 vaccine studies, what are we clinicians to do when our patients ask us whether they should get a booster this fall? What once was a no-brainer in the early days of limited immunity to the virus — and the spectacular results of the first placebo-controlled trials — […]
October 23rd, 2025
What a Difference a Year Makes — with Bonus Halloween Video
At last year’s IDWeek — the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America — a group of us veterans in the HIV/ID world wrapped up a busy day of symposia, abstracts, and posters with a lively dinner in Los Angeles. What do I mean by veterans? If you started your ID training before […]
October 16th, 2025
Another Bad Week for the CDC, and a Personal Note
On Friday night, news broke that more than a thousand CDC staff received layoff notices — including people who track measles outbreaks, analyze data to craft policy, monitor employee safety, and, remarkably, recent Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) fellows (the early-career epidemiologists who often show up first when something alarming appears). Now, nearly a week later, […]
October 10th, 2025
DOTS: Optimism Around a “Negative” Dalbavancin Trial
The DOTS randomized clinical trial of dalbavancin versus standard-of-care for Staph aureus bacteremia (SAB) just landed in JAMA, where it undoubtedly will be featured in numerous ID, hospitalist, and medical resident journal clubs over the next several months. Proof: one of our great second-year ID fellows tagged it immediately for his journal club literally the […]
October 3rd, 2025
Update on Louie and One Interesting ID Fact
First, I want to express my sincere thanks to all those who commented, emailed, and texted about our dog Louie. My family and I truly appreciate the concern and the feelings people shared about their own dogs. And how about these selected bits of wisdom, posted by Dr. Gordon Huth? “Dogs’ lives are too short. […]
Paul E. Sax, MD
Associate Editor
NEJM Clinician
Biography | Disclosures & Summaries
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