Nurse in coma with mysterious virus 'after patient coughed on him'
A Sydney nurse is in a coma fighting for his life after contracting a mysterious virus believed to have been contracted from a patient coughing on him.
On February 12, Russell Marsh was working in the emergency department at Fairfield Hospital when he was coughed on and two days later started experiencing chills, coughing and a fever.
The 39-year-old father assumed he had just contracted a bug, but four days later he drove himself to Fairfield Hospital with difficulty breathing. He was later transferred to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
"Upon the assessment, Russell was not getting enough oxygen to his brain and body and was placed on non-invasive ventilation and admitted to the High Dependency Unit," his sister-in-law Jasmine Nguyen wrote.
"Less than 24 hours later, Russell was placed on life support, where he remains today, due to acute respiratory failure."
The family have been told Mr Marsh could have pneumonia, but doctors said there is a possibility they might never know what caused his decline.
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Mr Marsh celebrated his 39th birthday last month and has a nine-year-old son, Ronan.
Ms Nguyen has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to help the family cover the medical bills.
They have raised more than $17,000 in six days.
"We are praying he makes it through this, and although he may suffer ongoing neurological issues and require ongoing mobility rehabilitation, we all want him to recover and be able to spend many more precious years with his wife and son who mean the world to him," the page read.
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