Dr Anthony Fauci, a key figure in the US government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has announced that he was recently hospitalized with a West Nile virus infection and is now recovering at home.

Speaking to CBS News, the former chief medical adviser to the president said he thinks it’s likely he contracted the virus from a mosquito bite in his backyard. He went on to experience fever, chills, and fatigue.

What is West Nile virus?

As Dr Fauci indicated, West Nile virus is a virus that spreads primarily through mosquito bites (most often in the Culex genus). Mosquitoes pick up the virus when they feed on infected birds – with it eventually winding up in their salivary glands – and then pass it on to humans when they bite them.

In rare cases, it can pass from person to person via blood transfusion, organ transplantation, or breast milk.

The virus can be found in multiple countries, including the US, where the disease that can result from infection is considered a “nationally notifiable condition”. The number of disease cases can vary significantly year by year, but as of August 20, the country has seen 216 reported so far this year across 31 states. 

Signs and symptoms

When it comes to symptoms, infection with West Nile virus can go down three different routes of varying likelihood and severity. 

The vast majority of people infected (around 80 percent) will have no symptoms at all.

However, around a fifth of those infected develop an illness known as West Nile fever. This is often characterized by flu-like symptoms such as a fever, head and body aches, swollen lymph glands, vomiting, and diarrhea, but rashes can also appear on a person’s torso.

Roughly 1 in 150 people develop serious central nervous system complications, such as inflammation of the brain or the membranes that surround it, seen in symptoms like a high fever, muscle weakness, neck stiffness, or convulsions, among others. People over the age of 60, those who have certain medical conditions, or people who’ve received an organ transplant are at greater risk of these symptoms.

This type of severe illness is fatal in around 10 percent of the people it affects, while the remaining 90 percent can take up to several weeks or months to recover and may be left with permanent damage.

Prevention and treatment

A vaccine for the West Nile virus doesn’t yet exist, so the main method of prevention is to try and stop mosquito bites. To protect yourself, the CDC recommends using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved clothing (which can also be treated with repellent), and controlling mosquitoes indoors and outdoors. 

This could mean avoiding going out and keeping your doors and windows shut during peak mosquito hours (dawn and dusk), and removing standing water sources in and around your home, as that’s where mosquitoes tend to lay their eggs.

For those who do become infected, there is no specific treatment for the virus itself. Instead, treatments target symptoms and can depend on their severity. This can range from over-the-counter painkillers and rest to treat milder forms of illness, to receiving intravenous fluids and stronger painkillers in hospital more severe cases.

All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.  

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.