Key TakeawaysAnthony Fauci, MD, is recovering from West Nile virus after a hospital stay.Older adults, like Fauci, are at a higher risk of severe illness, with some cases leading to serious neurological conditions.There is no specific treatment or vaccine for West Nile virus.

Key Takeaways

Anthony Fauci, MD, is recovering from West Nile virus after a hospital stay.Older adults, like Fauci, are at a higher risk of severe illness, with some cases leading to serious neurological conditions.There is no specific treatment or vaccine for West Nile virus.

Anthony Fauci, MD, former chief medical advisor to President Biden, is recovering from West Nile virus after being hospitalized with the disease for six days.

Fauci may have been infected from a mosquito bite in his backyard in Washington, DC, according to aCNN interviewwithCarlos del Rio, MD, executive associate dean at Emory University School of Medicine.

While reported cases of human infections are relatively low in the United States, they consistently peak in August each year.

In an interview withStat, Fauci said he stayed in the hospital while doctors tried to diagnose his illness. Initially, the doctors thought he had a bacterial infection or a tick-borne disease, but he later tested positive for West Nile virus.

How Severe Is West Nile Virus?

West Nile was responsible for 1,840 hospitalizations last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

About 80% of people who contract West Nile Virus will not develop symptoms and do not need to seek diagnosis or care.

Fauci may have been one of the 20% of people who experience symptoms because of his age.

Symptoms of West Nile VirusHeadacheBody achesJoint painVomitingDiarrheaRash

Symptoms of West Nile Virus

HeadacheBody achesJoint painVomitingDiarrheaRash

“Older people tend to be more symptomatic and have more severe disease with a West Nile virus infection,” del Rio told Verywell.

The CDC says adults aged 60 and older are at greater risk for severe illness, as are people with conditions like cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and high blood pressure.

A smaller subset of people who contract West Nile virus—about one in 150—develop serious central nervous system illnesses like brain inflammation (encephalitis) or meningitis.

Whether someone with West Nile symptoms goes on to develop severe neuroinvasive symptoms or not, the illness will typically unfold in the same way,Photini Sinnis, MD, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, told Verywell.

How Common Is West Nile Virus in the U.S.?

How Do You Know If You Have West Nile Virus?

Most people infected with West Nile will never know they had the virus.

Blood tests and cerebrospinal fluid tests can confirm a West Nile diagnosis, but an official diagnosis won’t influence treatment recommendations. There is no specific medication or vaccine for West Nile. Treatment for serious cases involves supportive care, such as intravenous fluids and monitoring for secondary infections.

9 Reasons Mosquitoes Are Attracted to You

How Can You Prevent West Nile Virus?

The virus is not contagious among humans. It’s spreading, in part, because rising temperatures attributable toclimate changeare pushing mosquitoes further north, del Rio said. Frequent flooding across the U.S. creates more breeding grounds for mosquitoes, too.

4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Department of Health and Human Services.Vector & pathogen ecology.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.West Nile virus historic data (1999-2023).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.West Nile: symptoms, diagnosis & treatment.World Health Organization.West Nile virus.

4 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Department of Health and Human Services.Vector & pathogen ecology.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.West Nile virus historic data (1999-2023).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.West Nile: symptoms, diagnosis & treatment.World Health Organization.West Nile virus.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Department of Health and Human Services.Vector & pathogen ecology.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.West Nile virus historic data (1999-2023).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.West Nile: symptoms, diagnosis & treatment.World Health Organization.West Nile virus.

Department of Health and Human Services.Vector & pathogen ecology.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.West Nile virus historic data (1999-2023).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.West Nile: symptoms, diagnosis & treatment.

World Health Organization.West Nile virus.

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