83-year-old in hospital

US immunologist Fauci falls ill with West Nile fever

The internationally renowned US immunologist Anthony Fauci has contracted West Nile virus. The 83-year-old was treated in hospital for six days and is now recovering at home, CNN and the New York Times quoted a spokesman for Fauci as saying. "A full recovery is expected," they said.

Fauci stepped down as Chief Medical Advisor to the US President and Director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases almost two years ago. He had previously become a central figure in the fight against the coronavirus in the USA. The renowned scientist headed the National Institute of Infectious Diseases for almost four decades and worked under a total of seven US presidents.

Outstanding expert on infectious diseases
He is considered one of the outstanding experts on infectious diseases in the USA. He is known far beyond the circles of science and the American borders. In the highly politically charged debate about the coronavirus pandemic, Fauci was regularly the target of criticism and hostility.

The West Nile virus originates from Africa and is transmitted by mosquitoes. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), most infections are asymptomatic, with around 20 percent of those infected developing a feverish, flu-like illness lasting a few days and around one in a hundred developing meningitis. A protective vaccination for humans does not yet exist.