Gates giving a speech | Photo: Wikimedia/World Economic Forum
So Donald Trump doesn’t know there’s a difference between HIV and HPV. At least that’s what Bill Gates told his foundation’s staff in a meeting.
In an exclusive clip obtained by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Gates is seen talking to the room about meeting Trump numerous times. On two separate occasions, Trump asked him about the viruses.
‘He wanted to know if there was a difference between HPV and HIV,’ he says in the clip.
Exclusive footage obtained by All In… Bill Gates dishes on his meetings with Donald Trump. More tonight at 8PM ET. #inners pic.twitter.com/Zoehj1WTfk
— All In w/Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) May 17, 2018
There’s some laughter scattered throughout the room, in a gobsmacked sort of way.
Gates continues: ‘So I was able to explain that those are rarely confused with each other.’
There’s a pretty big difference
HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS, without treatment.
It attacks the human body’s immune system, specifically T cells, and makes a person susceptible to infections and cancers. There is no cure or vaccine for HIV, but it can be controlled with treatment and medication.
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI).
According to the CDC, HPV most often goes away on its own. However, in some cases, it can lead to genital warts and cancer. The best way to avoid HPV is to get vaccinated and practice safe sex.
An advocate for health and science
Gates has long been an advocate for healthcare and science.
Last year, he and his wife, Melinda Gates, invested $140 million in a device to help deliver a daily dose of PrEP. The medicine helps protect people from contracting HIV.
It’s also not the first time Gates has advised Trump on a matter of health.
He also dissuaded Trump from creating a commission to investigate the safety of vaccines.
‘In both of those two meetings [Trump] asked me if vaccines weren’t a bad thing because he was considering a commission to look into ill-effects of vaccines,’ Gates commented. ‘And somebody, Robert Kennedy Jr., was advising him that vaccines were causing bad things and I said, “No, that is a dead end, that would be a bad thing, do not do that.”‘
