By Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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MONDAY, Aug. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Dr. Anthony Fauci, who helped millions of Americans navigate the health challenges of the pandemic, is recovering at home after being hospitalized for a West Nile infection.<\/p>\n
Fauci should make a full recovery, a spokesperson told the Associated Press<\/em> on the condition of anonymity due to security concerns.<\/p>\n In a post<\/a> on the social media platform X, Dr. Jonathan LaPook<\/a>, chief medical correspondent for CBS News<\/em>, said he spoke Saturday with Fauci, who believes he was likely infected from a mosquito bite that he got in his backyard.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u0080\u009cDr. Fauci was hospitalized about ten days ago after developing fever, chills and severe fatigue,\u00e2\u0080\u009d the post <\/a>said, adding that Fauci spent a week in the hospital.<\/p>\n There are no vaccines or medications for West Nile infection. As of Aug. 20, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recorded<\/a> 216 cases in 33 states this year.<\/p>\n West Nile virus is commonly spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. While most people don\u00e2\u0080\u0099t experience symptoms, about 1 in 5 can develop a fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or rash, according to the CDC. Roughly 1 in 150 patients can develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.<\/p>\n Fauci first joined the U.S. National Institutes of Health in 1968 and rose to prominence within the agency during the 1980s\u00a0AIDS crisis<\/a>. As an HIV\/AIDS researcher, Fauci conducted pivotal studies that formed the basis of medicine’s current understanding of the disease and continue to inform the therapies used to treat and prevent AIDS.<\/p>\n Fauci became NIAID director in 1984, and advised every U.S. president on infectious disease emergencies from Ronald Reagan onward.<\/p>\n During the pandemic, Fauci was the public face of the U.S. government, serving as chief medical advisor to the White House. The role made him a hero to some and a villain to others.<\/p>\n He\u00a0stepped down from that role<\/a>\u00a0in 2022, but joined the faculty at Georgetown University last summer as a distinguished professor.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The CDC has more on West Nile virus<\/a>.<\/p>\n