US government's face during Covid Anthony Fauci hospitalized after West Nile virus infection. Check symptoms, health update
Anthony Fauci is recovering from West Nile virus after being hospitalized with the mosquito-borne illness for nearly a week, he told Stat News on Saturday.
As chief White House medical adviser, 83-year-old Fauci, became the face of the US government's efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He retired in December 2022 after 54 years at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) including 38 serving as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Fauci last summer joined the faculty at Georgetown University as a distinguished university professor.
In an interview with Stat News on Saturday, Fauci said he had spent six days in a hospital starting August 16 while doctors tried to discern the source of his weakness, fever and chills. He then tested positive for West Nile virus, and he told the digital news outlet: «I’ve never been as sick in my life.»
Fauci said he expects to make a full recovery although it may take several weeks for him to return to normal, Stat reported.
The virus is spread by infected mosquitoes. There were about 2,500 cases reported in the U.S. last year and 182 deaths from the disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of August 20 this year, the CDC had recorded 216 cases in 33 states this year. It's best prevented by avoiding mosquito bites.
West Nile virus is commonly spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. While most people don't experience symptoms, about 1 in 5 can develop a fever, headache,
