CBS News
What to know about West Nile virus, symptoms after Dr. Anthony Fauci reveals illness
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:
- Nausea
- Aches and pains
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Chills
- Rash (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 repellent
- Get 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.
CBS News
Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.
CBS News
LaMonica McIver wins special House election in New Jersey for late Donald Payne Jr.’s seat
TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver has defeated Republican small businessman Carmen Bucco in a contest in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District that opened up because of the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. in April.
McIver will serve out the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends in January. She and Bucco will face a rematch on the November ballot for the full term.
McIver said in a statement Wednesday that she stands on the “shoulders of giants,” naming Payne as chief among them.
She cast ahead to the November election, saying the right to make reproductive health choices was on the ballot as well as whether the economy should benefit the wealthy or “hard working Americans.”
“I will fight because the purpose of politics and the purpose of our vote is to give the people of our communities and our nation a bold voice,” she said.
Bucco congratulated McIver on the victory in a statement but said he’s looking forward to the rematch in November.
“I am not going anywhere,” he said in an email. “We still have a second chance to make district 10 great again!”
Who are LaMonica McIver and Carmen Bucco?
McIver emerged as the Democratic candidate in a crowded field in the July special election. A member of the city council of New Jersey’s biggest city since 2018, she also worked for Montclair Public Schools as a personnel director and plans to focus on affordability, infrastructure, abortion rights and “protecting our democracy,” she told The Associated Press earlier this summer.
Bucco describes himself on his campaign website as a small-business owner influenced by his upbringing in the foster system. He lists support for law enforcement and ending corruption as top issues.
The 10th District lies in a heavily Democratic and majority-Black region of northern New Jersey. Republicans are outnumbered by more than 6 to 1.
It’s been a volatile year for Democrats in New Jersey, where the party dominates state government and the congressional delegation.
Among the developments were the conviction on federal bribery charges of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who has denied the charges, and the demise of the so-called county party line — a system in which local political leaders give their preferred candidates favorable position on the primary ballot.
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who’s running for Menendez’s seat, and other Democrats brought a federal lawsuit challenging the practice as part of his campaign to oust Menendez, who has resigned since his conviction.
CBS News
Body found near Kentucky shooting site believed to be suspect, officials say
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