Ex-US President Bill Clinton, 78, hospitalised with fever, remains in good spirits

Former US President Bill Clinton was on Monday (local time) admitted to a hospital in Washington after developing a fever but remains in “good spirits”, according to his deputy chief of staff.

The 78-year-old Democratic leader was admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in the “afternoon for testing and observation”, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Urena, said in a statement on X.

“He remains in good spirits and deeply appreciates the excellent care he is receiving,” the spokesperson said.

Clinton served two terms as the president from January 1993 to January 2001. Earlier this year, he participated in the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and campaigned for the unsuccessful White House bid of Vice President Kamala Harris for the November 5 election, The Associated Press reported.

Since leaving the White House, Clinton has faced health issues over the years.

The former US President underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2004 after he experienced prolonged chest pains and breathlessness. He also had surgery for a partially collapsed lung in 2005 and a pair of stents were implanted in a coronary artery in 2010.

Since then, Clinton has embraced a largely vegan diet, a move that resulted in him losing weight and improved health.

In 2021, the Democratic leader was admitted to a hospital in California for six days while being treated for an infection that was not related to Covid-19, when the pandemic swept through the US, according to The Associated Press.

An aide to the former president said then that Clinton had a urological infection that spread to his bloodstream, but was on the mend and never went into septic shock, a potentially life-threatening condition. The aide said Clinton was in an intensive care section of the hospital that time, but was not receiving ICU care.

(with inputs from The Associated Press)