Zareen Khan recently went through a “terrible” experience as she was diagnosed with dengue and had to be hospitalized for a week. The actor, who has recovered and is back at work, says, “This is the second time I’ve got dengue and it was terrible. I didn’t even suspect it. I had been diagnosed with dengue in 2016, while I was travelling. But this time I was at home and started getting a headache. I thought it was exertion and when it worsened the next day, I was rushed to the hospital, and told that my platelet count was 50,000 (normal platelet count is between 1,50,000 to 4,50,000 per microliter of blood).”

The 36-year-old is glad work didn’t get affected with her hospitalization as she was in-between shoots. “[Work wise] everything was going smoothly, but when you fall ill, things come to a standstill. I couldn’t wait to be back on my feet and to work. While I was discharged from the hospital two weeks ago, my strength and stamina are still not 100 percent, so that’s a bummer,” says the Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele (2021) actor.

The rains are accompanied by several diseases and getting ill can bring about a lot of negative feelings. The Hate Story 3 (2015) actor says, “Lately, so many people have been getting sick, one of my house help got dengue and the other got typhoid. I feel paranoid if I’ve not worked in two days or have taken a break, I’m like, ‘Oh God, what’s happening in my life?’.”