Fox News anchor John Roberts, 68, has been hospitalized after being diagnosed with an advanced case of malaria. He told People that he first noticed something was wrong on Monday, when he began shivering uncontrollably while filming a segment. Roberts said his whole body hurt “from the top of my head to the tip of my toes.”

Blood tests revealed that both his platelet and white blood cell counts were dangerously low, leading doctors to run more tests. Once the malaria diagnosis was confirmed, Roberts admitted he “was a little scared.” Malaria is spread by mosquitoes and, if not treated quickly, can become life-threatening.

“One of my doctors said I’m the first case he has ever seen,” he posted on X.

According to the Mayo Clinic, malaria is an illness caused by a parasite that spreads to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes. It often causes severe symptoms such as high fever, chills, and body aches.

Although malaria is rare in temperate regions, it remains widespread in tropical and subtropical areas. Each year, around 290 million people contract the disease, and more than 400,000 die from it

John Roberts said there isn’t an official classification for how severe his malaria is, but he admitted, “I have never felt that sick in my life.” The Fox News anchor had recently spent two weeks in Indonesia at the end of July. About 10 days after returning home in early August, he began to feel the first symptoms, according to the Daily Beast.

Roberts is now receiving IV artesunate, a standard treatment used for serious cases of malaria. Despite the setback, he’s hopeful he’ll be well enough to return to work by early next week.

John Roberts, 68, is a veteran journalist and television news anchor best known for his role at Fox News, where he currently co-anchors America Reports. Born in Toronto, Canada, Roberts began his career as a local radio and TV reporter before moving into major network news. He worked for CBS News as White House Correspondent and also held roles at CNN, where he co-anchored morning and weekend programs.

Roberts joined Fox News in 2011 and became one of the network’s most prominent political reporters, covering multiple presidential administrations, elections, and major breaking news stories. He was appointed Fox News Chief White House Correspondent in 2017, a position he held throughout the Trump administration.

He is known for his direct reporting style and decades of broadcast experience., In addition to his journalism career, he is married to fellow broadcaster Kyra Phillips, with whom he has two children.