Zac Efron Suffers Life-Threatening Illness While Filming In Papua New Guinea

PAPUA NEW GUINEA. (THECOUNT) — Actor Zac Efron is recovering after suffering a near-fatal bacterial infection, according to Sunday morning reports.

Efron, 32, almost died just before Christmas after contracting a deadly “form of typhoid or similar bacterial infection” while filming his new docu-series Killing Zac Efron in Papua New Guinea.

With the help of medical professionals, Efron was airlifted to Brisbane, Australia, from Papua New Guinea on a “life-or-death flight,” reports ElvisDuran.

Efron was reported to be “in a stable condition” by the time he arrived at Brisbane’s St. Andrews War Memorial Hospital in Spring Hill. After undergoing several days of treatment, the High School Musical alum was “given the all clear” to fly back home to the United States ahead of Christmas Eve. In new images published by Mirror Online early Sunday morning (December 29), Efron looked to be in good health as he was sighted for the first time since the medical scare at a pop-up event in Los Angeles, supposedly taken last Saturday (December 21).

Additional reports indicate Efron had landed in Papua New Guinea at the start of December to film his extreme adventure series, which follows the actor going “deep into the jungle of a remote, dangerous island, falling off the grid for 21 days,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Prior to falling ill with the deadly infection, Efron had been pictured in Wewak with locals and tour guides and was welcomed into the villages of Pagwi and Kamanibit, where he arrived by canoe.

As yet, Efron has not commented publicly on the matter.

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Geo quick facts: Papua New Guinea, in the southwestern Pacific, encompasses the eastern half of New Guinea and its offshore islands. A country of immense cultural and biological diversity, it’s known for its beaches and coral reefs. Inland are active volcanoes, granite Mt. Wilhelm, dense rainforest and hiking routes like the Kokoda Trail. There are also traditional tribal villages, many with their own languages – wikipedia.