Some of you may know Kelvin Peña as the guy who posts the charming and viral videos of him befriending wild animals.
In fact, Peña, who goes by Brother Nature, quickly captured the hearts of millions with his interactions with a small herd of deers that frequented his backyard. His backyard friends ultimately became known to many as the “Deer Squad.”
But the content creator has been rather quiet across his social media channels this last week but in a recent post with his more than 2 million followers, Peña revealed that a Malaria diagnosis has kept him down.
“Just wanted [to] keep you guys posted on why I haven’t really been active lately,” Peña said on Instagram. “About 10 days ago I got a fever and didn’t think much of it. Then as days went on it started to raise, I started getting chills and couldn’t control my sleep, I slept for days on end then began to vomit a lot plus diarrhea.”
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Pena told his followers that he originally thought it was the flu but as the symptoms worsened, he checked into a local hospital where he was later diagnosed with Malaria Falciparum.
“I’ve been treated and am getting better, but the process has been hell and has opened my eyes to how important health is,” he added. “So, that being said, I’m gonna slow down a bit on life til I’m all the way healthy.”
Preventing Malaria
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans.
The CDC says about 1,700 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the United States each year and the vast majority of cases in the US are in travelers returning from parts of the world where malaria transmission occurs, including sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
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Symptoms include high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness, and if not treated properly, can lead to death.
The best way to prevent Malaria is through a series of medications before traveling to places that the CDC and World Health Organizations have deemed as high risks areas.
Peña did not specify where he could have come in contact with Malaria but his most recent pictures on Instagram show him helping with giraffe conservation efforts in Uganda.
