Zac Efron Spoke Out About Contracting A Deadly Infection In Papua New Guinea

Poor Zac Efron! The actor and singer was hospitalized with a deadly illness while filming a documentary series in Papua New Guinea called, ironically, Killing Zac Efron. Thankfully, he’s now home in the U.S. and recovering from the ordeal. Zac Efron’s hospital release post-Papua New Guinea illness came RIGHT in time for the holidays, and he’s finally speaking out about the ordeal.

“Killing Zac Efron” is a survival reality series that follows Zac as he goes “deep into the jungle of a remote, dangerous island, falling off the grid for 21 days,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. In the show, Zac is alone in the jungle with an experienced local guide. But things got a little too real when Zac contracted a “form of typhoid or similar bacterial infection” during filming, The Sunday Telegraph reports. Just before the holidays, he had to take a “life-or-death flight” from Papua New Guinea to Brisbane, Australia for medical attention. After several days of treatment, he was given the green light to fly home to the U.S. on Christmas Eve.

Zac made a statement about the incident on Twitter, confirming the story and thanking everyone for the support. “Very thankful to everyone who has reached out,” he wrote. “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.”

https://twitter.com/ZacEfron/status/1211436036733186049

The adventurous star previously said that he tends to “thrive under extreme circumstances,” so he’s likely not too phased by this experience. The show isn’t even his first time living in the wild—in 2014, he appeared on Running Wild With Bear Grylls, where he ate an earthworm and jumped out of a helicopter, NBD.