Actor Sebastian Ferrat, beloved in his native Mexico, has died after a long and horrifying struggle with an infection he reportedly contracted from contaminated pork. Is 2020 the year to give up bacon?

Fans are in deep sorrow as Sebastian Ferrat, 41, died on Sunday after a long battle with a grave illness that local media identified as cysticercosis, a parasitic infection that attacks the brain, muscles, or other tissues. According to reports, the actor, best-known for his roles in various television dramas, contracted the deadly infection after eating spoiled pork.



He reportedly languished in a coma for several months in hospital before finally succumbing to the infection.

While cysticercosis can be contracted by eating bad pork, the terrifying condition is actually the result of food or beverages being contaminated by tapeworm eggs from human feces. In some cases, pigs become infected by eating the tapeworm eggs – which originate from humans suffering from tapeworms.

Cysticercosis is included on the World Health Organisation’s list of so-called “neglected diseases” – a group of illnesses that prevail mostly in tropical and subtropical conditions and affect “populations living in poverty, without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors and domestic animals.”



Sadly, the case of Sebastian Ferrat proves that the infection can target anyone, even TV stars are not safe.

At the same time, another worrying illness – typhoid – made headlines in relation to US movie celebrity Zac Efron. The star of ‘High School Musical’ and ‘The Greatest Showman’ was reportedly admitted to hospital in Australia with typhoid or a “similar bacterial infection,” while filming a survival TV show in Papua New Guinea.

Luckily, he was able to fly home for the holidays, and thanked everyone for their support via Instagram.

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