Infectious Disease
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General Infectious Disease
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Former NIAID director infected with West Nile virus, now recovering at home, spokesperson says
by
Associated Press
August 24, 2024
Anthony Fauci, MD, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), spent time in the hospital after being infected with West Nile virus and is now recovering at home, a spokesperson confirmed Saturday.
Fauci is expected to make a full recovery, the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
West Nile virus is commonly spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. While most people don’t experience symptoms, about one in five can develop a fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash, according to the CDC. About one out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.
CBS News’ chief medical correspondent, Jonathan LaPook, MD, wrote in a social media post that he spoke Saturday with Fauci, who said he was likely infected from a mosquito bite that he got in his backyard.
“Dr. Fauci was hospitalized about ten days ago after developing fever, chills, and severe fatigue,” LaPook’s post on X said. It said Fauci spent a week in the hospital.
As chief White House medical adviser, Fauci was the public face of the U.S. government during the COVID-19 pandemic, a role that made him both a trusted voice to millions and also the target of partisan anger. He left the government in 2022 but was back before Congress in June to testify as part of Republicans’ yearslong investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and the U.S. response to the disease.
Fauci last summer joined the faculty at Georgetown University as a distinguished university professor.
There are no vaccines to prevent West Nile, or medicines to treat it. As of August 20, the CDC had recorded 216 cases in 33 states this year. It’s best prevented by avoiding mosquito bites.
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