Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is recovering quickly from the illness that caused him to postpone a trip to China but is currently conducting internal meetings only from his home at the country’s presidential residence, according to Institutional Relations Minister Alexandre Padilha.
(Bloomberg) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is recovering quickly from the illness that caused him to postpone a trip to China but is currently conducting internal meetings only from his home at the country’s presidential residence, according to Institutional Relations Minister Alexandre Padilha.
“The president is in very good health and making very positive progress,” Padilha told reporters after a visit with Lula on Monday, adding that he will likely work from home at least until Wednesday on advice of his medical team.
Lula, 77, was admitted to a hospital in the capital of Brasilia on Thursday due to flu-like symptoms, according to a statement from his press office. He was diagnosed with bacterial and viral bronchopneumonia due to influenza A.
The delay of the China trip set back Lula’s plan to strengthen relations with Brazil’s largest trading partner. Both governments are in talks to reschedule the official visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to Lula’s spokesperson.
Read More: Brazil’s Lula Postpones Trip to China on Health Reasons
Roberto Kalil Filho, the president’s doctor, said in a Sunday interview with CNN Brazil that he discussed the risks of traveling abroad while sick with Lula and his wife, Janja.
“The president himself had a concern about influenza A, and whether he could transmit the virus or not,” Kalil said. “And at that point, he would still transmit it.”
Lula’s doctors pay special attention to his respiratory condition because of a prior bout with laryngeal cancer in 2011. But he is in good health for his age, Kalil said during the interview, and “all precautions were taken” with the latest illness.
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