STAT Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is recovering at home after being hospitalized for nearly a week for West Nile virus infection.
Fauci, a leader of the U.S. Covid-19 response, spent six days in hospital as doctors tried to figure out what was responsible for his illness. It was thought he had a bacterial infection, or had been infected with a tick-borne disease, until a blood test showed he was “strongly positive” for West Nile virus.
Fauci, 83, told STAT he has never been so ill.
“I really felt like I’d been hit by a truck,” he said in an interview Saturday. “I have to tell you, I’ve never been as sick in my life. Ever. By far, this is the worst I’ve ever been with an illness.” West Nile virus is a flavivirus, a viral family that includes St. Louis encephalitis virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and Powassan virus. There is no vaccine to protect against it, and no specific antiviral drugs to treat it. Severe cases can be treated with supportive care — intravenous fluids and pain medications.
It is spread by infected mosquitoes and is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the United States. There is a cyclical pattern to West Nile infections, with most cases in this country occurring in August and September.