By Joke Kujenya
HEALTH CONCERNS are rising as the flu continues to spread across the United States.
A former US President Bill Clinton, aged 78, has been discharged from MedStar Georgetown University Hospital after being treated for flu-related symptoms.
Clinton was admitted on Monday following a fever and underwent testing and observation, according to a statement from his office.
In a statement, Clinton expressed gratitude to the hospital’s medical team and acknowledged the outpouring of well-wishes from the public.
He also conveyed his warm wishes for a healthy holiday season to all Americans.
Clinton’s medical history includes several notable health challenges.
In 2004, he underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery, followed by treatment for a partially collapsed lung in 2005.
In 2010, two stents were inserted into his coronary artery.
Most recently, in 2021, he spent six days hospitalised for a urological infection.
This particular health episode comes amid a rising flu season in the US.
According to the Center for Diseases Control (CDC), hospitalisation rates for flu have doubled, with 23,000 hospitalisations and 970 deaths already recorded this season.
Older adults, like Clinton, are at greater risk of severe illness.
Treatments such as Tamiflu is noted to have been of help, but they are most effective when administered within 48 hours of symptom onset.
Clinton, known for his post-presidency activism, recently published a new book titled Citizen: My Life After the White House.
However, despite health challenges, he is said to remain active in public life, including appearances at major events like the Democratic National Convention in Chicago earlier this year.
