West Nile virus deaths reported in the US: What to know
What you need to know about West Nile virus
Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and former chief medical advisor to the president, was diagnosed with West Nile virus earlier this month, according to a spokesperson for Fauci. Fox News correspondent, Steve Harrigan, joins LiveNOW from FOX to share the latest, as Fauci is expected to make a full recovery
Three people have died in the U.S. from West Nile virus, the mosquito-borne illness that can sometimes cause serious, sometimes fatal infections, health officials said.
The deaths were reported in Wisconsin and Illinois – two people died in eastern Wisconsin and one person died in northeastern Illinois.
A third person in Wisconsin has been hospitalized with West Nile, the state’s health department said in a news release.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the public face of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic response, was hospitalized earlier this month with West Nile virus. Fauci was in the hospital for six days, but he's expected to make a full recovery.
RELATED: Fauci hospitalized after testing positive for West Nile virus, now recovering at home: report
Wisonsin West Nile virus cases
Wisconsin’s cases involve residents of Outagamie, Fond du Lac and Brown counties.
Wisconsin has an average of 18 cases of West Nile virus each year. This year, West Nile has been detected in mosquitoes, animals and healthy blood donors whose blood screened positive for West Nile virus, the state said.
Mosquito bites are the vector for West Nile virus, which has killed 3 people in Illinois and Wisconsin (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).
Illinois West Nile virus cases
In Lake County, Illinois, three people tested positive for the virus in the past week, the county’s health department said Thursday in a news release.
READ MORE: First West Nile Virus death reported in Illinois this year
One of the victims started having symptoms in mid-August and died shortly thereafter.
What is West Nile virus?
West Nile virus spreads through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
Most people don’t experience symptoms when they’re infected, but about 1 in 5 can develop a fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or rash, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.
West Nile virus was first reported in the U.S. in 1999 in New York. It gradually spread across the country. In 2003, there were nearly 10,000 cases.