Dr. Anthony Fauci, 83, one of the most prominent figures in the fight against COVID-19 as the former chief White House medical advisor, is recovering at his home after being diagnosed with the West Nile virus. He was treated at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
In a post on X on August 24, Jonathan LaPook, Chief Medical Correspondent for CBS News, share that Fauci was hospitalized on August 14 after developing fever, chills, and severe fatigue.
“Evaluation revealed that he had been infected with the West Nile virus, likely from a mosquito bite that he got in his backyard,” LaPook wrote. “He left the hospital three days ago and is recovering at home. The prognosis is for a full recovery.”
West Nile, primarily spread by mosquitoes, is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States. It belongs to the Flaviviridae family, related to viruses like dengue, yellow fever, and Zika. West Nile gets its name from a Ugandan district on the continent of Africa where it was for isolated in 1937.
While most people do not develop symptoms, about 20% who become infected will experience fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. The fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or months. Less than 1% of infected people develop a serious neuroinvasive disease, such as encephalitis or meningitis. Those over 60 years of age are at most risk of severe illness and/or death.
Fauci, faced significant criticism regarding the precautionary methods he advocated for during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In congressional testimony, he admitted that the specific guideline of maintaining six feet of distance was not based on solid scientific evidence. This admission fueled criticism that many of the social distancing rules were arbitrary, potentially causing unnecessary economic and social disruption.
After the pandemic he conceded that the measures he recommended to close schools and businesses might have been too harsh.
There was contention over the effectiveness of masks at a population level, with critics citing Fauci’s acknowledgment that masks might only offer marginal benefits in broad public health terms. This led to debates over whether mask mandates were scientifically justified or more about signaling and compliance.
