BETHESDA, Md. — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, underwent surgery Thursday to remove a growth from his vocal cord that was causing his notably raspy voice.

Fauci, who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, underwent outpatient surgery for the polyp and was home and resting, an institute spokesperson told The Associated Press.

Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has become the nation’s leading scientific voice on the coronavirus pandemic, giving regular public advice via media interviews and webcasts, most recently one on Wednesday afternoon.

Polyps are bumps that can form on the vocal cords and cause hoarseness. Fauci has been open about his, saying in an interview with the Economic Club of Washington this spring that he had an irritated throat after a bout of winter flu that never got a chance to heal.

“I probably have a polyp there,” he said at the time, adding that “the only way you’re going to make it get better is to keep your mouth shut. But that’s not in the cards right now.”

CNN first reported the surgery.

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