Anthony Fauci, the doctor who became synonymous with the American government's response to the COVID pandemic, was hospitalized with a virus — this time the rare West Nile virus, according to The New York Times, though he's now recovering at home.
Fauci, the 83-year-old former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CBS that he started feeling tired, chilly and feverish earlier this month.
After he tested positive for West Nile, Fauci surmised that he must have gotten a mosquito bite, the main vector for the virus, while he was in his backyard.
A spokesperson speaking to the NYT confirmed that Fauci was now home after hospital treatment, and that a full recovery is expected.
I just got off the phone with Dr. Anthony Fauci. Dr. Fauci was hospitalized about ten days ago after developing fever, chills, and severe fatigue. Evaluation revealed that he had been infected with the West Nile virus, likely from a mosquito bite that he got in his backyard. He…
— Jonathan LaPook, M.D (@DrLaPook) August 24, 2024
The news about Fauci's illness solicited online well wishes for his recovery, but it also attracted people with not-so-kind words, lingering blowback from his prominent position among people who hated the pandemic lockdowns or the COVID vaccines.
An ongoing misinformation campaign has been leveled against the doctor, who for years previous had been seen as a mostly non-partisan medical expert, serving both Democrat and Republican presidents until anti-vaccine activists and political opportunists painted him as Public Enemy No. 1 for the government's faltering response to the COVID pandemic and the public push for vaccines.
There's very little evidence that the COVID vaccine does much besides prevent severe coronavirus symptoms, though conspiracy theorists have continued to insist without evidence that it alters your DNA or causes various medical problems.
As for West Nile virus, there is no known vaccine approved for human use. Like what Fauci experienced, the common signs of the virus include fevers, chills, muscle aches and nausea.
People infected by a mild form of the virus should expect a full recovery, but the worst cases can lead to brain damage or death.
And though relatively rare compared to the common flu, it's still considered the most common mosquito-borne disease in the United States, with more than 2,000 people diagnosed with West Nile each year.
But West Nile's spread is projected to become worse with the rising impact of climate change, which may necessitate the development of a vaccine for the greater public.
Will the people who scoffed at Fauci seek such a vaccine if West Nile becomes a big enough problem?
Their track record points towards no, and ultimately that's their loss.
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