Anthony Fauci was reportedly hospitalised this month after contracting West Nile virus. The Washington Post reported that that 83-year-old was hospitalised for six days and was then released. He is now recovering at home.
“A full recovery is expected,” Fauci’s spokesperson said.
Fauci, a former COVID-19 czar, retired as chief of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 2022. He had run it for nearly four decades. When he stepped down, he was the highest paid federal employee, with an annual salary of $480,654.
What is West Nile virus?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, West Nile virus is commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. There are no medicines to prevent the disease, nor are there any vaccines to prevent it.
The World Health Organization says, “West Nile Virus (WNV) can cause neurological disease and death in people. WNV is commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and West Asia. WNV is maintained in nature in a cycle involving transmission between birds and mosquitoes. Humans, horses and other mammals can be infected.”
It adds, “West Nile Virus (WNV) is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae.”
The largest outbreaks of West Nile virus occurred in Greece, Israel, Romania, Russia and USA. While humans are mostly infected as a result of mosquito bites, mosquitoes get infected when they feed on infected birds, which “circulate the virus in their blood for a few days,” according to WHO. “The virus eventually gets into the mosquito’s salivary glands. During later blood meals (when mosquitoes bite), the virus may be injected into humans and animals, where it can multiply and possibly cause illness,” WHO adds.
“The virus may also be transmitted through contact with other infected animals, their blood, or other tissues,” it adds.
