Chatchai's mystery infection

Chatchai Plengpanich, the award-winning leading man from Necromancer and Hit Man File, has been treated for a mysterious infection that could have left him paralyzed if he hadn't been treated in time, The Nation reported today.

"He is recuperating. The original symptoms when he was first admitted were regarded as severe," Dr Manoon Leechawengwong of Vichaiyut Hospital was quoted as saying.

Manoon said he didn't know how an excessive amount of bacteria had entered the actor's circulatory system, which caused a lowering of his immune system and severe muscle weakness.

"Exercise alone does not guarantee a strong immune system," he said, referring to the 46-year-old actor's exercise regimen and his regular participation in sporting events.

"Rest is equally important. Sleep is vital. Everything needs to be balanced. Enough exercise, enough rest and enough food. Anyone of these done excessively is not beneficial," Manoon told The Nation. "Like running, it could cause bones to deteriorate or some women to stop menstruating if done too much," he said.

Dr Somphon Bunnakhupt, an expert on infectious diseases, said Chatchai's original symptoms were similar to the those suffered by singer Big of the boy-band trio D2B two years ago. Somphon said the medication used to treat Chatchai was made locally, unlike that used for Big (Parawat Kittikorn) which was expensive and had to be imported.

The young singer had a road accident in which his car plunged into a polluted canal. The bacteria in the water entered his nasal passages and eventually into his brain. Big survived after months of treatment that cost millions of baht, but he suffered severe brain damage.

Other causes of bacteria entering the body include chronic infections, animal bites and even ordinary skin rashes.

(Cross-published at the Rotten Tomatoes)