We were concerned to find out whether this was a new phenomenon or simply one that was

newly recognized and whether it was increasing in frequency and who was really affected.

That's Dr. James Kern back in 2011.

And then we deployed physicians and epidemiologists to all of the major cities of the country in

search of cases.

He was reflecting on his time leading a task force on HIV-8s at the U.S. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention.

For Dr. Kern, it was the defining period of his 25 years there.

In 1995, he became dean of Emory University's Roland School of Public Health and he still

holds that position today.

Whether it's HIV-8s or influenza, Dr. Kern has spent his career walking this tightrope

between science and politics.

So today, he's going to join me to talk about how to get the messaging right and also how

inconsistent messaging from our leaders has set us back in this fight against the coronavirus.

I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent and this is coronavirus, fact

versus fiction.

James Kern and I are both doctors.

We're both on faculty at Emory and we both live in Georgia.

Last week, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared he was suing Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

over her ordinance requiring people to wear masks.

Here's Governor Kemp.

Mayor Bottoms' mask mandate cannot be enforced, but her decision to shut her businesses and

...