The Houston Chronicle reports that Houston tax accountant Daniel Lue, one of the castaways in Survivor: The Amazon, returned home from Brazil with an unexpected guest in his body: malaria.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to Daniel's mother, Daniel began feeling ill on February 4, and by February 8, his body temperature had shot up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Because the contestants had been given antimalarial drugs both before leaving and after returning, Daniel thought that he had contracted the flu. However, on February 12, the presence of the malaria parasite in Daniel's blood was confirmed, and Daniel finally began taking quinine. Recovery followed quickly thereafter.
Whether this information has any spoiler value is questionable. The normal dormancy period for malaria after infection is only 14 days, although the antimalarial drugs could have caused a slight delay in the onset of symptoms; however, the show wrapped filming in December. Thus, Daniel appears to have been infected either right at the end of the shooting schedule or perhaps even after shooting was completed.
Plus, Daniel appears likely to be an early boot, meaning that he might have been infected while touring the Amazon after his boot. Nevertheless, our Survivor spoilers are having fun speculating about it.