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A FOX News host announced his sudden disappearance from television as he battles a “severe” disease.
John Roberts, the co-host of America Reports, wrote on Tuesday that he stepped away from his show due to a “severe case of Malaria.”
Yesterday, Trace Gallagher, another Fox News host, stepped in for Roberts during his hospitalization.
“I somehow came down with a severe case of Malaria,” Roberts, 68, said on X.
“I can honestly say that I am the only person in the hospital with Malaria.”
Roberts did not give a date on when he would return to the show.
“[O]ne of my doctors said I’m the first case he has ever seen,” he said.
The United States has around 2,000 cases of the disease a year, and Americans typically get it from traveling outside of the country where malaria is prominent, according to the agency.
Social media posts show that Roberts was in Indonesia with his wife and children just two weeks ago.
He tweeted that the family visited Sumba Island, which has high malaria rates in Indonesia, according to a 2022 medical journal published in PLOS Global Public Health.
Malaria is given to humans by mosquitoes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called malaria a ‘severe, potentially fatal disease’ that needs immediate treatment.
The agency recommends travelers going to certain regions in the Indonesia should get a prescription for malaria prevention medication before traveling.
Roberts thanked doctors at Inova Health, a healthcare provider in Virginia, “for their expertise and compassion.”
Politicians and fans alike wished the host well after he announced his shocking diagnosis.
“Beth and I are praying for a swift recovery,” North Carolina Rep. Mark Harris wrote on his post.
“I hope doctors are keeping you pain free,” another user commented.
“You’re the first person I know of that’s had malaria.”
If left untreated, it can cause seizures, confusion, coma, and possibly death.
Roberts hosts America Reports with co-anchor Sandra Smith on weekdays at 1 p.m. Eastern.
Gallagher, who is stepping in for Roberts, hosts Fox News @ Night, the channel’s late-night programming.
The show airs weekdays at 11 pm Eastern.
