Anthony Fauci hospitalized with case of West Nile virus, full recovery expected

A controversial fixture in the D.C. public health bureaucracy for decades was recently hospitalized after contracting a dangerous and potentially even deadly illness.

As the New York Post reports, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who, for better or worse, was the face of the federal government's response to COVID-19, is said to have required six days of inpatient care after contracting a case of West Nile virus

Fauci contracts mosquito-borne virus

The recent health concerns of the 83-year-old former chief of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases were first reported by the Washington Post.

According to the outlet, Fauci spent six days in the hospital receiving treatment for the ailment but has since returned home to complete the recuperation process.

Fauci's spokesperson expressed optimism about the former government official's prognosis, telling the Post, “A full recovery is expected.”

Though no specific details have been released regarding how Fauci may have contracted the illness, the virus has been known since its first detection in America back in 1999 to be the most common affliction transmitted by mosquitoes in the country, as NBC News notes.

Infections tend to befall mosquitoes after they have bitten birds affected by the virus, and then they transmit the illness to humans via a subsequent bite.

Key facts about West Nile virus

Spread frequently by Culex mosquitoes, the West Nile virus is not susceptible to any currently available vaccine or medicine to treat its symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, it is worth noting that the majority of those who contract the virus do not feel sick, and only 1 in 5 infected individuals develop symptoms of any sort – often emerging between three and 14 days following the offending mosquito bite – and these could include headache, body aches, rash, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever.

The risks attendant to the virus are not insignificant, though, in that 1 out of every 150 infected humans will go on to develop a severe, potentially deadly case involving complications such as meningitis and paralysis.

Cases of viral infection are known to reach their peak in the months of August and September, and they can be particularly prolific after periods of heavy rain.

This year, there have been reports of 216 cases of West Nile in humans, spread across 33 states.

COVID-era controversies persist

Fauci has remained a highly controversial figure due to his hardline pandemic positions on vaccines, school closures, and the origins of COVID-19, and his status as among the highest paid federal employees at the time of his retirement has long roiled detractors who have accused him of corruption and dishonesty.

Though few would wish Fauci harm amid his battle with the West Nile virus, there are millions who would, however, like to see him held accountable in some appreciable way for what they feel were the rampant abuses and authoritarian overreach that characterized his approach to COVID-19.