Zac Efron tells fans he 'bounced back' after reportedly contracting 'deadly illness' in Papua New Guinea: 'I'm home for the holidays'
Zac Efron says his health scare is behind him.
After reports circulated Sunday that the Baywatch and High School Musical actor, 32, had contacted a “deadly illness” while shooting a series in Papua New Guinea, he took to social media to let fans know that while he was sick, he “bounced back.” Efron, who reportedly had “a form of typhoid or similar bacterial infection,” per Australia’s Sunday Telegraph, is now home for the holidays.
“Very thankful to everyone who has reached out,” wrote the actor, who was shooting Quibi’s Killing Zac Efron on the Pacific island. “I did get sick in Papua New Guinea but I bounced back quick and finished an amazing 3 weeks in P.N.G.”
The post, accompanied by a photo from his stay in Papua New Guinea, ended by saying, “I’m home for the holidays with my friends and family. Thanks for all the love and concern, see you in 2020!”
Efron’s post, shared on all his social media platforms, has been flood with comments from relieved friends and fans. A similar sentiment expressed was that people were “so worried” and are “glad to hear you’re OK.”
The Sunday Telegraph reported that Efron contracted the scary illness while filming his new adventure show, which takes him "deep into the jungles of a remote, dangerous island to carve his own name in expedition history,” according to IMDB. A medevac crew airlifted him to Brisbane, Australia, where he was rushed to St. Andrew's War Memorial Hospital in Spring Hill.
A doctor from the Medical Rescue Group told the news outlet that a team "retrieved a U.S. citizen in his 30s from PNG to Brisbane recently for medical attention." He was “in stable condition,” and after multiple days of treatment, doctors allowed him to return to the U.S. on Christmas Eve.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says typhoid is a life-threatening illness caused by bacteria in contaminated of food or water. Symptoms include fever, weakness, stomach pain, headache, diarrhea or constipation, and it’s treated with antibiotics. A typhoid fever vaccine is encouraged for U.S. citizens traveling abroad to countries where the disease are common.
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