Dr. Oz spoke to INSIDE EDITION about how his wife battled West Nile Virus and the symptoms people should know associated with the potentially fatal illness.
It's a medical crisis, for TV’s popular doctor Dr. Oz's wife, Lisa, contracted West Nile virus just last week.
Dr. Oz told INSIDE EDITION’s Paul Boyd, “She came to me complaining that her head was hurting. She couldn't get out of bed.”
Lisa thought she had a classic case of the flu, but Dr. Oz knew better.
“Four-fifth’s of people who get West Nile virus, never knew they had it. I just gave her the vitamins we usually take. I gave her a little extra Vitamin D. She slept a lot, and over the course of a week, she got better,” said Dr. Oz.
West Nile is a potentially deadly disease spread by mosquito bites. Last year, nearly 5,000 Americans were infected and 284 people died.
Dr. Oz is also speaking out about another deadly virus causing havoc across the nation. A Texas woman cleaning out a home for the new season of TLC's Hoarding: Buried Alive has developed the respiratory illness, Hantavirus.
Dr. Oz said, “Hantavirus typically comes from the feces of mice.”
INSIDE EDITION's Paul Boyd asked, “How serious is the Hantavirus? It has a pretty high mortality rate if I’m not mistaken.”
“Once you get it in your lungs, half the people will die, so it's a big deal,” said Dr. Oz.
The virus typically spreads in closed-in spaces, making the homes of hoarders an easy breeding ground for the disease.
“When they're hoarders there's all kinds of dusts accumulating, together with that rodent material left behind, all of that air mixes up and gets into your lungs,” said Dr. Oz.
This comes as three tourists who camped at Yosemite National Park died from the Hantavirus after staying in infected cabins. Dr. Oz advises everyone to be aware of the symptoms.
“This one has a really dry cough and a lot of shortness of breath associated with it,” said Dr. Oz.
The new season of Dr. Oz premieres on Monday and he discussed what to expect this year.
“I'm going to show you how to reboot your heart, your liver, your intestines, your thyroid, the parts of your body that you think are crumbling. If I can get those to work better, you'll feel younger than you've ever felt before,” said Dr. Oz.
