Bolivia's Morales has treatable viral infection, govt says

Record ID: 347989

  • Title: Bolivia's Morales has treatable viral infection, govt says
  • Date: 3rd March 2017
  • Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (MARCH 02, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** EXTERIOR OF GOVERNMENT PALACE/FLAGS BOLIVIAN VICE-PRESIDENT AND INTERIM PRESIDENT ALVARO GARCIA LINERA ENTERING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ALVARO GARCIA LINERA, INTERIM PRESIDENT OF BOLIVIA, SAYING: "The symptoms then, were as follows: problems with his vocal cords, sinusitis, pain-very stron
  • Embargoed: 17th March 2017 00:46
  • Keywords: Evo Morales health Cuba sick
  • Location: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
  • City: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
  • Country: Bolivia
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001669QR0J
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Bolivian President Evo Morales has a treatable viral infection, Interim President Alvaro Linera said hours after Morales took a sudden trip to Cuba to seek medical treatment.
    "The symptoms then, were as follows: problems with his vocal cords, sinusitis, pain-very strong pain that kept President Evo Morales from sleeping-in the right side of his abdomen, the internal and right side of the abdomen so that was disconcerting and that is why on Wednesday the political ministers held an emergency meeting and we decided that we needed to take care of President Evo Morales' health and we quickly decided to expedite a trip to Cuba," Linera told journalists.
    "Based on the symptoms and the complete analysis that our brothers in the Socialist Republic of Cuba have done, he has a viral infection. It is not grave; it is treatable, controllable."
    Earlier in the day, President Minister Rene Martinez said the president was seeking treatment for a throat condition which had been going on for "quite some time" and had caused Morales to have difficulty speaking and prompted him to cancel public appearances.
    Linera predicted Morales would be back in the South American nation early next week.
    "The doctors have asked that President Evo Morales stay for the check-up and treatment another 4 or 5 additional days. Knowing the president-he is always very active and it is hard for him to abandon his routine-we calculate that he could be returning in 3 or 4 days," he said.
    Morales took office in the Andean country in 2006 and was elected to a third term in 2014. The 57-year-old said last year he may run for a fourth consecutive term in 2019 elections despite losing a referendum that would have reformed the country's constitution to allow him to run again.
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