In late 2024, 73-year-old Mai Thi Vu began feeling chronically unwell. She was intensely fatigued and consistently nauseous. Her nails were turning black, she was rapidly losing weight and her skin was blistering and discolored.
Prior to this, Vu had been healthy for her age. She experienced some skin irritation, but she treated that with a drug called Hydroxyzine, a prescription antihistamine she took in 50-milligram doses.
Or so she thought…