Jack Osbourne's Harrowing Battle with Weil's Disease

Jack Osbourne, son of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, has revealed he nearly died from a bacterial infection he contracted while filming in Malaysia. The infection, known as Weil's disease, led to kidney and liver failure and left Osbourne hospitalized for weeks.

Jack Osbourne, a reality television star and the son of heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, has shared a harrowing account of his near-death experience with Weil's disease.

In an episode of his family's podcast, "The Osbournes Podcast," Osbourne detailed the ordeal he endured after contracting the bacterial infection while filming in Malaysia for the FOX competition show "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test."

Osbourne explained that he became ill about two weeks after leaving Malaysia, experiencing symptoms such as fever, chills, and muscle aches. Doctors initially struggled to diagnose him, as he was in a foreign country and experiencing symptoms of a rare disease.

After being flown to Finland and eventually to London, Osbourne was finally diagnosed with Weil's disease, a severe infection caused by a bacterium found in the urine of infected animals. The infection had spread to his kidneys and liver, resulting in organ failure.

"At this point, I'm like five days into my body legitimately shutting down, and I'm lying in this bed, I haven't eaten, my kidneys and liver are like going into failure, and I'm like, 'Uh, I'm f---ing losing it,'" Osbourne said.

Osbourne's condition worsened, and doctors at one point feared he might have HIV. However, a breakthrough came when a doctor who was an expert in tropical diseases diagnosed him with Weil's disease.

"This guy who was the head of tropical diseases for the NHS, he's like the number one guy, left and at 7 a.m. comes running into my room days later like, 'I've got it!'" Osbourne shared.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Weil's disease is a "severe infection" that can manifest with fever, renal failure, jaundice, hemorrhage, and respiratory distress. Osbourne contracted the infection from leech bites on his feet while swimming and bathing in a jungle river in Malaysia.

"I got it because I've got leech bites on the bottom of my feet," he noted. "I was swimming and bathing in a river, and we were climbing on rocks and jumping into this jungle river and I stepped in a puddle on this boulder ... and it had rat's piss in it."

After receiving proper treatment, Osbourne gradually recovered from the infection. However, the experience left him with a newfound appreciation for life and the importance of early medical intervention.

"I'm lucky to be alive, and I know that," he said. "It was a very close call."

Osbourne's experience highlights the dangers of tropical diseases and the importance of seeking medical attention promptly when experiencing severe symptoms after traveling to foreign countries. By sharing his story, Osbourne hopes to raise awareness about Weil's disease and prevent others from suffering through the same ordeal.