The Accademia dei Lincei, the oldest scientific academy in the world (founded in 1603), expresses its profound dismay at the violent attacks on Anthony Fauci, a member of our Academy and one of the most expert and brilliant scientists in medicine, particularly in immunology and infectious diseases.
Dr. Fauci served for over 50 years as the Director of NIAID, fostering major advances in public health and promoting top-level medical research. His leadership is recognized worldwide, not only for his excellent, long-lasting research activity but also for playing a front-line role in unravelling pathogenetic mechanisms and developing treatments for HIV-induced AIDS. He was the principal architect of the PEPFAR global AIDS program, which has saved over 20 million lives in developing countries. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Fauci played a pivotal role in providing public guidance as the disease evolved, while also promoting and supporting the rapid development and widespread use of effective vaccines.
The accusation that he is responsible for the onset of the pandemic due to his support for coronavirus research at the Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, is entirely groundless and refuted by official investigations. Likewise, the accusation of malpractice in his management of the pandemic in the United States is unfounded. In fact, his science-based approach to managing the crisis, along with the immunization strategies he advocated, was adopted by countries worldwide, contributing to saving millions of lives.
Science and research have greatly contributed to human progress, virtually doubling life expectancy through breakthroughs such as the discovery of antibiotics and the development of vaccines. Persecuting an eminent scientist with unjustified accusations not only inflicts unjust damage on the individual, but also risks profoundly undermining science as a whole. This carries obvious consequences for future progress and could result in a detrimental regression in the quality of life, leaving society far more vulnerable to disease, misinformation, and a general erosion of public trust.
As an independent Academy that is proud to have included Galileo Galilei among its first members (1611), we strongly warn against any attempt to politicize science, urging society not to repeat the grave historical mistakes where ideological dogmas attempted to silence scientific truth.