Zac Efron Breaks Silence on Recent Health Scare

Zac Efron fans got quite a scare earlier this week when a report of the actor being airlifted from Papua New Guinea to a hospital in Australia surfaced on social media. The Cut circulated The Australia Sunday Telegraph’s report and now the star spoke out about his health status. He was in the country filming his upcoming Quibi documentary series Killing Zac Efron. The report speculated that he had come down with some form of typhoid. The series he was working on is being billed as a sort of Man v Wild featuring the actor venturing “deep into the jungles of a remote dangerous island to carve his own name in expedition history” for 21 days “with nothing but basic gear, a guide partner, and a will to survive.”

Efron wrote on Twitter, “Very thankful to everyone who has reached out. I did get sick in Papua New Guinea but I bounced back quick and finished an amazing 3 weeks in P.N.G. I’m home for the holidays with my friends and family. Thanks for all the love and concern, see you in 2020!”

“I tend to thrive under extreme circumstances and seek out opportunities that challenge me on every level,” Efron previously explained to Variety. “I am excited to explore any uncharted territory and discover what unexpected adventure awaits.”

Typhoid, and the bacteria that causes it, is found in contaminated water and food in Papua New Guinea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their website lists typhoid as one of the vaccines most travelers to the area might want to have available. High fevers, weakness, stomach pains, headache and more are among the symptoms listed on the site as well. The illness can prove fatal and has a recovery period of seven-to-ten-day. Multiple outlets had reported that Efron spent several days in the hospital in Australia and was headed to the United States on Christmas Eve.

It remains unclear how far into the filming of Killing Zac Efron the star became ill. But, it is great to hear that the actor is doing better and enjoying the holiday season. That is a scary situation and it would be understandable to lay low while recovering. The series was previously expected to air on Quibi, an upcoming short-form streaming platform, some time in 2020.

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