John Roberts is battling a “severe” case of malaria.
The 68-year-old Fox News anchor has revealed that he has been hospitalized after he was diagnosed with the parasitic mosquito-borne illness on Monday, August 25.
“I had been hurting from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. Literally everywhere. I was also beset with uncontrolled shivering all during my show,” John told People on Thursday (August 28). “Initially, I thought it was just muscle cramps and aches. But when I started shivering, I started to lean toward the flu.”
Keep reading to find out more…He went on to say that he “knew it was bad” when his blood work showed that his platelets and white blood cells were both low.
“My rheumatologist told me to go to the ER,” he recalled.
Once he was in the hospital, that’s when John was officially diagnosed with malaria.
“I thought, ‘Of course you have malaria… You never do anything in small measures.’ But I was a little scared,” he recalled. “Malaria can be deadly if left unchecked.”
“I don’t know exactly how ‘severe’ it was from a medical classification, but it sure felt severe,” he added. “I have never felt that sick in my life.”
John believes that he contracted the disease while on a two-week vacation in Indonesia before returning home in early August. Though he doesn’t remember being bitten, he said he started feeling sick 10 days after he returned.
As he remains in the hospital, John has been treated with IV artesunate — the first-line treatment for severe malaria in the United States — which he calls a “big gun” for getting rid of parasites.
He also admitted that he’s been feeling “up and down” throughout his recovery.
“Yesterday [August 27] was a down day,” John shared. “I felt horrible all day. I also have wild swings in temperature every hour. I’ll be shivering and shaking like a leaf… the next I’ll be sweating.”
John is hoping to be discharged from the hospital soon and return to work as co-anchor of America Reports on Tuesday, August 2.
If you missed it, there have been some big changes to the Fox News show Fox & Friends over the past few months.
We wish John Roberts a speedy recovery.
Source: justjared.com