Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former top U.S. infectious disease expert, spent time in the hospital after being infected with the West Nile virus and is now recovering at home, a spokesman confirmed Saturday.
Fauci is expected to make a full recovery, said the spokesman, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons.
West Nile virus is often transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. While most people experience no symptoms, about 1 in 5 people may develop fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 1 in 150 infected people develops severe, sometimes fatal illness.
CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook wrote in a social media post that he spoke with Fauci on Saturday, who said he likely contracted the infection from a mosquito bite in his yard.
“Dr. Fauci was hospitalized approximately 10 days ago after developing fever, chills, and severe fatigue,” the post on X said, adding that Fauci spent a week in the hospital.
As the White House’s top 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 for millions of people and the target of partisan anger. He left the administration in 2022 but was back before Congress in June to testify as part of Republicans’ years-long investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and the U.S. response to the disease.
Fauci joined the faculty of Georgetown University last summer as a distinguished university professor.
There are no vaccines to prevent West Nile, and no medications to treat it. As of August 20, the CDC had recorded 216 cases in 33 states this year. The best prevention is to avoid mosquito bites.
