Anthony Fauci was hospitalized for six days this month after contracting the potentially deadly West Nile virus.
Fauci, the former longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is now back home and is receiving treatment there.
A spokesman told CNN that Fauci, 83, who was a member of the White House coronavirus task force, is expected to make a full recovery.
West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the Americas, with an average of more than 2,200 cases reported each year, according to the Department of Health.
About 1,000 people are hospitalized each year with the most severe form of the disease. If the disease spreads to the brain and nervous system, it can cause brain swelling, brain damage, and death. The mortality rate is 3 to 15 percent.
There is no specific treatment or vaccine against the virus, but 80 percent of cases are mild, with sufferers experiencing flu-like symptoms or rashes.
The greatest risk of infection is in August and September, when the mosquito season reaches its peak.
Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been infected with the West Nile virus but is expected to make a full recovery
The West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquitoes. In the most severe cases, it can cause brain swelling, brain damage and death.
According to a CDC tracker, as of August 20, there were 216 cases of West Nile virus in 33 U.S. states.
About 65 percent of all cases are reported to be neuroinvasive.
As early as June, scientists detected a much higher number of West Nile virus cases than usual, causing great concern.
Fauci himself began studying the West Nile virus in 2004, when he was still NIAID director.
In response to a question from a participant in the online forum “Ask the White House,” he wrote that the best way to prevent the virus is to control mosquitoes.
He added that while there are “a number of promising candidates” for a vaccine, 20 years after that statement, there is still no cure or vaccine for the virus.
In June, Fauci testified before Congress to better explain the government’s response to Covid.
Fauci told Republicans that the 6-foot distancing rule “kind of just popped up” and he couldn’t remember how it happened.
He added that he was not aware of any studies supporting social distancing.
Fauci also acknowledged that Covid-19, which has killed more than 1.2 million Americans, may have emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China.
“As far as the origin is concerned, I am unbiased,” he said.
Fauci is pictured testifying before the House Select Committee on Oversight and Accountability on the coronavirus pandemic on June 3, 2024.
Meanwhile, another mosquito-borne disease is wreaking havoc in a Massachusetts town.
The health department of Oxford, a city of 13,300 residents about 50 miles southwest of Boston, has imposed an outdoor curfew to reduce the risk of people being bitten by mosquitoes that transmit Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE).
A resident of the small town fell ill with the rare and untreatable disease, also known as “Triple E.” It was the first time in nearly four years that an American had become infected domestically.
Similar to the West Nile virus, Triple E causes fever and brain swelling.
One-third of people infected with EEE die, and those who recover often suffer lifelong physical and mental problems.
The nightly curfew, which begins around 8 p.m. in Massachusetts, is only a recommendation – not a requirement – but city officials hope it will encourage people to come indoors before peak mosquito season and thus reduce the risk of infection.
Although it is not a requirement, the local school district will enforce the curfew, which means extracurricular programs and sporting events may be canceled, ended early, or moved indoors.
