Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former US infectious disease chief, has been hospitalized with West Nile fever, but is now recovering at home, his representative said last night. According to him, Fauci is expected to fully recover, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
West Nile fever is usually spread by infected mosquitoes. Most infected people have no symptoms, but about 20% develop fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea and rashes. About 1 in 150 infected people have a severe, sometimes fatal, illness. There are currently no vaccines against West Nile fever, and the disease is treated symptomatically. On August 20, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 216 cases in 33 states since the beginning of the year.
The chief medical correspondent of the “CBS News” Doctor Jonathan LaPook said on the social network "X" that he spoke with Fauci yesterday, who explained to him that he most likely contracted the infection from a mosquito bite while spending time in the yard of his home.
„Dr. Fauci was admitted to the hospital about ten days ago with a fever and severe exhaustion,” he added, specifying that the patient had spent a week in the medical facility.
As Chief Medical Advisor to the White House, Dr. Fauci rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic – a role that the AP says has made him a trusted voice for millions, but also a target for anger. He retired from government in 2022, but in June of that year he was heard by Congress as part of a Republican-led investigation into the origins of the disease and the US response to its spread.
Fauci currently teaches at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.