Actor Manuel Masalva is “fighting for his life” after contracting a bacterial infection while traveling.

In a post on on Thursday, April 3, Masalva’s friend and fellow actor Mario Morán shared that the Narcos: Mexico star, 43, had contracted a “very aggressive virus” while he was on vacation and was placed into an induced coma.

“My brother is fighting for his life far away from home,” Morán said in Spanish of Masalva, calling him “one of my best friends” in the heartfelt video.

“… He fell victim to a very aggressive virus while he was on vacation and this led him to an induced coma. As of today, his situation remains delicate,” Morán added.

In a page set up for Masalva to help pay his medical expenses, Morán originally wrote that the kind of bacteria that had infected the actor was unknown, but in an update shared on Thursday, he wrote that doctors had identified the bacteria.

“Manu remains in critical condition; the bacteria has already been detected, he’s on antibiotics, and we’re waiting for him to begin to improve,” the update states. “Thank you for continuing to share this campaign on your social media so we can reach more people who can help. Together, we can make a huge difference for Manuel and provide him with the strength and support he needs to recover.”

While Morán has not shared Masalva’s exact diagnosis, the states that infections such as encephalitis and meningitis are factors that might cause doctors to place patients in induced comas in severe cases, due to swelling of the brain, spinal cord or the tissues that surround the brain.

In his TikTok video, Morán pointed his followers to the page, which has raised over $1 million Mexican pesos ($50,000 USD) as of Friday from more than 800 donors.

“The medical costs are enormous and in a country where everything is more difficult, any help, no matter how small, can make the difference in this very difficult moment,” Morán said in the video. “If you can contribute, we thank you with our entire hearts.”

“Manu remains in critical condition; the bacteria has already been detected, he’s on antibiotics, and we’re waiting for him to begin to improve,” the update states. “Thank you for continuing to share this campaign on your social media so we can reach more people who can help. Together, we can make a huge difference for Manuel and provide him with the strength and support he needs to recover.”

While Morán has not shared Masalva’s exact diagnosis, the states that infections such as encephalitis and meningitis are factors that might cause doctors to place patients in induced comas in severe cases, due to swelling of the brain, spinal cord or the tissues that surround the brain.

In his TikTok video, Morán pointed his followers to the page, which has raised over $1 million Mexican pesos ($50,000 USD) as of Friday from more than 800 donors.

“The medical costs are enormous and in a country where everything is more difficult, any help, no matter how small, can make the difference in this very difficult moment,” Morán said in the video. “If you can contribute, we thank you with our entire hearts.”

Although Masalva shared photos of traveling in the Philippines as recently as March 14, Morán did not say where his friend had contracted the disease or where he was being treated.

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Masalva has starred in more than a dozen films and TV shows, including Narcos: Mexico, in which he played the nephew of crime boss Pablo Acosta alongside He also starred in La Guzmán, Netflix’s 2019 biopic about Mexican singer Alejandra Guzmán.