Help End the Attack on Professor Paolo Zanotto

The Chloroquine Wars Part XLV

Early on during the pandemic, Professor Paolo Zanotto (Virologist and Microbiologist)  was among those encouraging the use of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) after observing results from numerous nations around the world. He believes that the use of HCQ, along with azithromycin and zinc, for those sick with COVID-19 (as early therapy during the first five days, in particular) reduces risks of suffering and death. More recently, Zanotto warned against mass vaccination, offering an opinion that age and risk stratification makes better policy sense. Having completed his doctorate at the Institute in Virology and Biochemistry at Oxford University in 1995, Zanotto stands out as a rock at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, working with post-doctoral researchers from a variety of nations.

Understand that Zanotto is not generally an "anti-vaxxer". He maintains a two-decades-long association with the Institute Pasteur (Senegal/Paris) and helped organize the Brazilian response to the Zika virus in 2016, training many scientists along the way to co-developing three vaccine platforms along with researchers at Harvard University. The journals Nature, Science, and the New England Journal of Medicine published his work on Zika, including his team's discovery of the link between Zika and microcephaly.

More recently, the Dean, managers, and administrators at the USP have held a "monkey trial" accusing Prof. Zanotto of "lack of scientific rigor", with the goal of unseating him from his post.

Whether you agree with him on any one point or not, holding a set of opinions different from those of vaccine manufacturers or the World Health Organization (WHO) is what we expect of academia where science is generally shielded from political influence that sometimes drives artificial consensus. That shield seems to be fading fast these days. It is one thing to get blasted by anonymous trolls on reddit. Nobody likes that, but grownups know that some negative attention comes with defending a controversial opinion. Having your position, vocation, and research threatened is a far more serious matter.

On 7/8/2021 7:44 AM, Paolo Marinho De Andrade Zanotto wrote:

Dear colleagues,

I am undergoing a brutal cancelation and moral assassination attempt at my university for defending early treatment. I would need your urgent manifestation and help, possibly by sending letters to the effect that early treatment is being effective and that denying it today is causing death and suffering.

Letters of support to my effort to the Direction of my Institute (Biomedical Institute at University of São Paulo) to the following e-mail addresses:  dir@icb.usp.br and

comunicacao@icb.usp.br

Moreover, if possible, I would like to ask you to manifest also at:

https://www.facebook.com/icb.usp/photos/a.326305550775433/5602431056496163/

It is important that manifestations are sent before July 13th, at 9 AM (our time) when they will bring me to the Gallows.

All the best,

Prof. Paolo Zanotto, D. Phil.

LEMB - ICB - USP

If you believe, as I do, that academic freedom is important to maintaining integrity in science, you can share your concerns. Write to Zanotto's university and condemn the attempt to remove him from his position. 

You can also sign this Change.org petition set up by journalist Filipe Rafaeli.