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 spokeswoman said.
Fauci, a longtime public health official who became a household name as part of the White House’s coronavirus task force, is expected to make a full recovery, a 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 spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes. And 1,500, on average, are diagnosed after developing symptoms, although experts estimate that 80% of infections in the United States go unrecognized.
There is no vaccine or specific treatment for West Nile. Most cases are mild, with flu-like symptoms and a rash. In 1 in 150 cases, the virus invades the brain and nervous system, leading to brain swelling, brain damage or death. About 100 people die from West Nile infections each year in the United States.
Heavy virus activity is usually seen in August and September. As of August 20, there are 216 cases reported There have been 142 neuroinvasive cases in 33 states this year, according to preliminary data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CNN’s Brenda Goodman contributed to this report.
