My heart was thundering at 180 beats a minute as the nurses rushed me through the emergency department waiting room and helped me onto a bed. My skin was grey and clammy, and I was shaking uncontrollably.

A nurse inserted a cannula and administered paracetamol to help bring down my temperature, which had risen to 39.5 degrees. And as rivers of sweat poured down my body, a doctor started asking me about my symptoms and recent history: “Have you been overseas recently? Is this the first time you’ve had one of these episodes? How long have you been feeling sick?”