CNN
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Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is recovering at home after being hospitalized with West Nile virus, a spokesman said.
Fauci, a longtime public health official who became a household name as part of the White House coronavirus task force, is expected to make a full recovery, the spokesman said.
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About 1,000 Americans are hospitalized each year with the most severe form of West Nile virus, which is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. On average, another 1,500 people are not diagnosed until symptoms appear. But experts estimate that up to 80 percent of infections in the United States are never detected.
There is no vaccine or specific treatment for West Nile virus. Most cases are mild, causing flu-like symptoms and a rash. In about 1 in 150 cases, the virus invades the brain and nervous system, which can cause brain swelling, brain damage, or death. About 100 people die from West Nile infections each year in the United States.
The virus’s peak activity is typically seen in August and September. As of August 20, 216 cases have been reported in 33 states this year, including 142 neuroinvasive cases, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CNN’s Brenda Goodman contributed to this report.
