Anthony Fauci, former top US disease expert, recovering from West Nile virus, media reports

[August 26, 2024]  (Reuters) - Former top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci is recovering from West Nile virus after being hospitalized with the mosquito-borne illness for nearly a week, he told Stat News on Saturday.  

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and former chief medical adviser to President Biden, U.S., June 3, 2024. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

Fauci, 83, became the face of the U.S. government's efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He retired in December 2022 after 54 years at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) including 38 serving as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

In an interview with Stat News on Saturday, Fauci said he had spent six days in a hospital starting Aug. 16 while doctors tried to discern the source of his weakness, fever and chills. He then tested positive for West Nile virus, and he told the digital news outlet: "I’ve never been as sick in my life."

Reuters could not immediately reach him for comment.

The virus is spread by infected mosquitoes. There were about 2,500 cases reported in the U.S. last year and 182 deaths from the disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are no specific treatments or vaccine for the disease.

Fauci said he expects to make a full recovery although it may take several weeks for him to return to normal, Stat reported.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by David Gregorio)

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