Anthony Fauci recovering at home after being hospitalized for 6 days due to West Nile virus
WASHINGTON, DC: Anthony Fauci, one of America's most prominent infectious disease experts, was hospitalized for days after contracting the West Nile virus.
Fauci, 83, spent six days in the hospital before being released and is now recovering at home, according to a report.
Anthony Fauci is expected to make full recovery
The spokesperson said Anthony Fauci has been back home and is expected to make a full recovery.
"Tony Fauci has been hospitalized with a case of West Nile virus. He is now home and is recovering. A full recovery is expected," the spokesperson said, according to Washington Post.
Anthony Fauci served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for many years and was a key figure in the coronavirus response teams of both former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
His career in the American public health sector spanned over 50 years during which he advised every president since Ronald Reagan.
He was appointed as chief medical advisor to the president by Biden, serving in the role between January 2021 and December 2022.
What is West Nile virus?
West Nile virus, first identified in Uganda's West Nile district in the 1930s, is now the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States.
The virus entered the US in 1999 and is primarily spread to humans through mosquito bites.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around one in five infected individuals "develop a fever and other symptoms," while one in 150 "develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness." Unfortunately, there is no vaccine to prevent infection.
The CDC reports that at least 80 human cases of West Nile virus have been recorded so far this year across 23 states, with Texas, Nevada, Nebraska, and Louisiana being the most affected.
The virus typically spreads when Culex mosquitoes bite infected birds and subsequently bite humans and other animals. Last year, more than 1,800 people were hospitalized with the virus in the US, leading to 182 deaths, as per CDC data.
Anthony Fauci faced scrutiny over Covid-19 origin, response
In June, Anthony Fauci testified before a House panel investigating the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
During his testimony before the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Republican lawmakers accused him of orchestrating a coverup of the virus’s origins from a lab leak in Wuhan, China. Fauci rejected these accusations as "simply preposterous."
Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene accused Fauci of "making up guidelines like six feet distancing and masking children" to which he replied the advice had come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not him.
During his testimony, Fauci also addressed the lack of a controlled trial justifying the six-foot social distancing rule and defended vaccine mandates for students, employees, and the military.
"Vaccines save lives. It is very, very clear that vaccines have saved hundreds of thousands of Americans and millions worldwide," he said.
He further clarified the limitations of the Covid-19 vaccine, stating, "In the beginning, it clearly prevented infection in a certain percentage of people, but the durability of its ability to prevent infection was not long. It was measured in months," according to Fox News.
The Covid-19 virus has been responsible for more than 1.2 million deaths in the United States since 2020, according to the CDC.
Fauci joined the faculty at Georgetown University after retiring. He now serves as a distinguished professor in the School of Medicine and holds a position in the university’s McCourt School of Public Policy.
