Ashima Sharda Mahindra • 26 Aug 2024
What Is West Nile - The Virus That Sent Dr. Anthony Fauci To The Hospital?
While mosquitos can bite anyone, certain people are at higher risk of getting severely ill if they get the virus, these include those who are elderly as their immune systems are weak
Top US scientist Dr. Anthony Fauci is now recovering after hospitalization due to West Nile virus, according to reports. The Former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Fauci, 83, became a household name as part of the White House Coronavirus Task Force during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Fauci's spokesperson said he is recovering at home after being hospitalized with the virus, which was spread by Culex mosquitoes.
What is West Nile, and how are people infected?
Experts say West Nile is a virus that spreads through mosquito bites as most people infected with it do not have any symptoms. Rarely, West Nile can cause serious brain and spinal cord inflammation. West Nile is named after the West Nile district of Uganda, where it was first identified.
Doctors say the cases of this viral infection usually peak in the months of August and September - often following rainy seasons. The bugs lay eggs in standing water. So far this year, in the US, more than 200 cases of West Nile have been reported in 33 states, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The illness caused what is known as neuroinvasive disease – like encephalitis, in over 140 of those patients, the CDC reported.
Signs and symptoms of West Nile virus
Doctors say thousands of people are infected with West Nile each year, though the majority never know it because they do not develop symptoms. However, according to the CDC, around one in five people will experience:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Rash around your chest and back
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Sore throat
- Pain behind your eyes
- Intense and excruciating headache
- High fever, above 103 degrees Fahrenheit
- Stuff neck
- Confusion
- Muscle weakness
- Muscle movements you cannot control
- Seizures
- Paralysis
- Coma
How does West Nile virus get transmitted?
According to doctors, infected mosquitos transmit West Nile virus which they get by biting an infected bird. The virus multiplies inside the mosquito and is transmitted to you when it bites you. The incubation period - how long before you have symptoms - is usually two to six days after getting bitten.
In a very few cases, West Nile virus has spread:
- From a pregnant woman to her fetus
- Through human milk
- Through a blood transfusion
- Through an organ transplant
Risk factors and complications of West Nile virus
While mosquitos can bite anyone, certain people are at higher risk of getting severely ill if they get the virus, these include those who are elderly as their immune systems are weak, those who have recently received an organ, have cancer or diabetes, have high blood pressure or have a kidney disease.
Doctors say less than 1 per cent of those infected with West Nile get severe complications as side effects of the infection, s few of which include:
- Memory loss
- Hearing loss
- Difficulty walking
- Muscle weakness
- Abnormal reflexes
- Depression
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