New Zealand woman nearly killed by parasite picked up from salad in Fiji

According to nzherald.co.uk, a mid-winter escape to Fiji turned into a near-death experience for an Auckland woman. Mary Kent needed time out last month and headed off to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Photos of the 26-year-old marketing and sales manager show her laughing, relaxing in five-star resorts and dining at luxury restaurants during her five-day holiday, unaware a deadly parasite was taking hold inside her body. “I came back and I was just feeling achy and tired, I had fevers and I just thought it was the flu. But a week after I started looking quite white, pale and not being able to function normally. I was having to go home from work.” She visited her GP on July 4 – nine days after her holiday ended – and he, too, diagnosed flu. Read article