Former US president Bill Clinton rushed to hospital with fever

23 December 2024, 23:22 | Updated: 24 December 2024, 06:46

President Biden Speaks On The 30th Anniversary Of The Family And Medical Leave Act At The White House
The former US president Bill Clinton has been admitted to hospital after developing a fever. Picture: Getty

By Flaminia Luck

Former US president Bill Clinton has been admitted to hospital in Washington after developing a fever.

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The 78-year-old was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Centre in the "afternoon for testing and observation", Angel Urena, Mr Clinton's deputy chief of staff, said in a statement.

"He remains in good spirits and deeply appreciates the excellent care he is receiving," Mr Urena said.

Mr Clinton, a Democrat who served two terms as president from January 1993 until January 2001, addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer and campaigned ahead of November's election for the unsuccessful White House bid of Democratic vice president Kamala Harris.

In the years since Mr Clinton left the White House, he has faced some health scares.

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Bill Clinton in November with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen
Bill Clinton in November with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen. Picture: Alamy

In 2004, he underwent quadruple bypass surgery after experiencing prolonged chest pains and shortness of breath.

Mr Clinton returned to the hospital for surgery for a partially collapsed lung in 2005, and in 2010 he had a pair of stents implanted in a coronary artery.

Mr Clinton responded by embracing a largely vegan diet that saw him lose weight and report improved health.

In 2021, the former president was admitted to hospital for six days in California while being treated for an infection that was unrelated to Covid-19, when the pandemic was still near its height.

Bill Clinton earlier this month
Bill Clinton earlier this month. Picture: Getty

An aide to the former president said then that Mr 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 Mr Clinton was in an intensive care section of the hospital that time, but was not receiving ICU care.