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According to CNN, Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was hospitalized for West Nile virus and is currently recovering at home.
Fauci, a longtime public health official who became a household name as part of the White House coronavirus task force, is expected to make a full recovery, the spokesman said. About 1,000 Americans are hospitalized each year with the most severe form of West Nile virus, which is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes. An average of 1,500 others are diagnosed after developing symptoms, though experts estimate up to 80% of infections in the U.S. are never detected. There is no specific vaccine or treatment for West Nile, and most cases are mild, causing flu-like symptoms and a rash.
In about 1 in 150 cases, the virus invades the brain and nervous system, potentially causing brain swelling, brain damage or death. About 100 people die from West Nile infection in the United States each year. The strongest viral activity is usually observed in August and September. Preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that as of August 20, 216 cases have been reported in 33 states this year, including 142 neuroinvasive cases.
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