As Dr. Anthony Fauci recovers from West Nile virus, questions are circling about the illness, including how it’s contracted, its symptoms and preventing it.
Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who headed up the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, told CBS News on Saturday that he is expected to make a full recovery at home after being hospitalized for days nearly two weeks prior.
CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook joined “CBS Mornings” on Monday to share details on the disease. Here’s what to know:
How West Nile virus is contracted
The West Nile virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes and is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental U.S.
While it spreads during mosquito season in the summer and fall, experts warn a warming climate means mosquito season is getting longer, prompting greater potential for the spread of disease.
Fauci told CBS News he probably got bit by a mosquito in his own backyard.
“But fortunately, he’s on the mend, and he said he was home since about five days ago,” LaPook said.
West Nile virus symptoms
West Nile infection leads to flu-like symptoms, LaPook said, including:
NauseaAches and painsVomitingFeverChillsRash (occasionally)
“Less than about 1 in 150 people who get infected get a more serious form, and that involves the central nervous system. You get inflammation of the brain, and this the the membrane that lines the spinal cord, and that’s a much more serious situation there,” he said.
Fauci said he started not feeling well, mostly experiencing fatigue, about two weeks before he revealed his diagnosis.
“Then the fatigue really increased. He developed shaking chills, like he said he’s never had before in his life, fever, and he was hospitalized for about a week,” LaPook said. “It took a few days for them to figure out what was going on, what was the infection. And finally, they did a blood test, and it revealed that it West Nile virus, of all things.”
How to protect against West Nile virus
The best way to avoid West Nile virus is avoiding mosquitoes.
“Dawn and dusk is when they tend to bite, (but) they can bite all day long,” LaPook said.
Luckily, there are a few things you can do to reduce your risk if you’re going to be outside:
Wear clothing that covers your skin Use insect repellentGet rid of standing water, where mosquitoes can breed and multiply
Protecting yourself is especially important for people who are more at risk, he said, including the elderly and those immunocompromised.
Sara Moniuszko
