A woman in Georgia was left ‘virtually paralyzed’ from the waist down after falling ill with a mosquito-borne infection, Anthony Fauci said.
Anne Dillard of Atlanta was rushed to the emergency room after collapsing at her home this month and finding herself unable to stand.
He was diagnosed with West Nile virus (which forced Dr. Fauci to hospitalize himself earlier this month) and said he was also suffering from a rash that spread from his stomach to the rest of his body.
This comes amid a spate of concerns about mosquito-borne diseases in the US, with cities in several states now spraying streets to kill the bloodsuckers.
Anne Dillard, from Atlanta, Georgia, revealed she had been left “virtually paralyzed” by her West Nile virus infection.
He spoke to local media from his hospital bed at Emory University Hospital in Georgia.
Among those who died from infections was a healthy 41-year-old man from New Hampshire who was diagnosed with mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).
His diagnosis came shortly after that of Dr. Anthony Fauci (pictured)
Ms. Dillard revealed her case to the local station. 11Viva after being inspired by Dr. Fauci, telling his story over Zoom from his hospital bed.
Revealing his reaction to the diagnosis, he said: “This is all complete madness.”
‘Mosquitoes bite me constantly during the summer, all my life, but I never thought about it.’
She added: “From the middle of my body down, I’m practically paralysed. I can feel it, but the muscle strength is gone. I can’t sit, I can’t stand, I can’t walk.”
Ms. Dillard believes she became infected after suffering a mosquito bite near her home in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
The graph above shows West Nile virus cases by year since 1999, when it first emerged in the U.S.
Shown above are all counties where West Nile virus has been detected so far this year.
Her symptoms also included lethargy and not wanting to eat much in the days leading up to the collapse.
Ms. Dillard added that she found out she had West Nile virus just 10 minutes after Dr. Fauci announced his own diagnosis.
West Nile virus arrived in the U.S. in 1999 in New York City and has since become the most common mosquito-borne disease in the country and has spread to every state in the country.
It is estimated that around 2,200 people become seriously ill each year from the disease, while 180 people die annually from the infection.
About 80 percent of infected people have no symptoms, and about one in five develop fever, headache or body aches before they subside.
Less than one in 150 patients suffers from a serious illness caused by a disease affecting the central nervous system.
Warning signs include muscle weakness, numbness, paralysis and, in more severe cases, seizures.
People over 60 years of age or with underlying diseases are at higher risk of suffering from the disease.
There are no specific medications for West Nile virus; patients are treated with rest, fluids, and over-the-counter pain relievers.
Doctors say fatigue or weakness caused by the disease can last for weeks or months before someone recovers, and that most patients do not fully recover from the paralysis.