Who knew that the World Cup Fever could actually kill people? Football fans in China are actually succumbing to the ‘disease’ – three men have died so far just from World Cup excitement and exhaustion.

The first to go was 51-year-old Li Mingqiang, from Liaoning Province. He started feeling unwell during the match between Spain and the Netherlands, and his friends quickly called an ambulance. Unfortunately, the paramedics were unable to save his life; he died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital.

Just hours later, a similar incident was reported – a 25-year-old man was found dead in his apartment in Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, on Saturday morning. Once again, he was rushed to the hospital and declared dead on arrival. The police said that the man had been watching the World Cup on his computer.

On Sunday, another football fan died of brain stem hemorrhage, while he was watching a match at his home in Shanghai. 39-year-old Zhou had stayed up for three nights straight to watch the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The football watching marathon led to the hemorrhage, which caused a massive stroke. He was rushed to the hospital too, but his condition deteriorated fast and he died a few hours later.

Doctors in China are now warning people about the ill effects of going without sleep for long periods of time. They suspect that all three deaths were due to intense emotional excitement, coupled with lack of sufficient rest. In China, the matches are broadcast late at night because of the time difference with Brazil, which means that fans need to stay up to be a part of the action.

Many football fans also consume a lot of alcohol during the matches, which can raise blood pressure to dangerously high levels.

Source: GB Times