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Zac Efron health update: Star back home after typhoid-like illness in Papua New Guinea

Zac Efron posing on the red carpet
Zac Efron suffered a form of typhoid or bacterial infection while in Papua New Guinea. Pic credit: ©Imagecollect.com / Zumapress

Zac Efron appears to have suffered a health scare while filming for a survival reality show in Papua New Guinea. Thankfully the 34-year-old star of the High School Musical franchise seems to have survived the ordeal and is back home with family.

The Hairspray star was reportedly filming for his now ironically named show Killing Zac Efron when he became ill with a form of typhoid or bacterial infection just before Christmas. Efron was then flown to Brisbane, Australia, where medics at the St. Andrews War Memorial Hospital described his condition as stable.

He was given the all-clear to return to the United States on Christmas Eve.

Dr. Glenn McKay, from the Medical Rescue Group, an organization that specializes in retrieving patients from difficult locations, refused to break patient-doctor confidentiality by naming Efron. However, he did admit that his group had “retrieved a US citizen in his 30s from PNG to Brisbane recently for medical attention in Australia.”

Last night, Efron tweeted a thank you to everyone who reached out to him. He stated that he did get sick in Papua New Guinea but had bounced back quick and referred to his time in PNG as “amazing.”

He continued to say he was home with family for the holidays. He included a photo of local children in the post.

Cyril Tara, a Papua New Guinean tour guide with Wewak, posted photos of himself with the Hollywood star as they toured the country before Zac became ill.

Zac Efron in a boat with PNG tour guide
Zac Efron was in Papua New Guinea, filming a reality TV show Killing Zac Efron. Pic credit: Cyril Tara / Facebook

Efron’s show, Killing Zac Efron, which was announced in November, will feature the Dirty Grandpa star going off the grid for 21 days when he will venture into dangerous jungles and remote islands. He will be left with just the bare essentials needed for survival. Fingers crossed nothing else bad happened.

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