Netflix Star in Coma After Bacterial Infection: Latest on Manuel Masalva’s Condition

Narcos: Mexico actor Manuel Masalva is “fighting for his life” after contracting a bacterial infection while traveling.

The 43-year-old star remains in a medically induced coma at a hospital in Dubai and is in critical but stable condition after he contracted a “very aggressive virus” while traveling in the Philippines, according to Masalva’s friends and manager.

Jamie Jaramillo Espinosa, the CEO of Mexican management agency JIM Management and Masalva’s manager, told the Los Angeles Times that the actor began “to feel internal discomfort and pain which increased by the day” about two days after he arrived in Dubai on March 18 after spending time in the Philippines. Doctors soon discovered that Masalva had contracted a bacterial infection, and the actor underwent emergency surgery on March 26. The following day, the infection reached Masalva’s lungs, and he was placed in a medically induced coma.

In an April 3 TikTok video, Masalva’s friend and fellow actor Mario Morán said the actor was “fighting for his life far away from home.” Morán explained the actor “fell victim to a very aggressive bacteria while he was on vacation. And this led to him being in an induced coma, and until now his situation continues to be delicate.”

According to Espinosa, doctors have since identified he bacteria type. The actor was administered antibiotics and has shown improvement, Espinosa noting that “his respirator was lowered to 80%, which means that his lungs are reacting.” He added that the actor remains in critical, but stable condition.

Amid his health crisis, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover Masalva’s medical expenses, which Morán said “are enormous and in a country where everything is even more difficult.” The page, created by the actor’s cousin, has raised over $1 million Mexican pesos ($50,000 USD).

Morán thanked those who have donated in a later video, adding, “now all that remains is to wait and have faith that in the coming days or weeks he will begin to improve.”

Masalva is best known for playing Ramón Arellano Félix in Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico. The hit series, a spinoff of the flagship Narcos show, explores the birth of the Mexican drug war in the 1980s and chronicles the true story of the Guadalajara cartel’s ascent. The series ran for three seasons between 2018 and 2021 and also starred Diego Luna, Michael Peña, Bad Bunny and Scoot McNairy.

Outside of Narcos: Mexico, Masalva’s other credits include the Univision telenovela La Rosa de Guadalupe, Netflix’s biographical drama series La Guzmán, and the series Tengo que morir todas las noches, per his IMDb profile.