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BRAZIL-POLITICS-BOLSONARO-CANCER
Brazil’s Bolsonaro examined for skin cancer
SAO PAULO, Dec 12, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro said
Wednesday he had been examined for skin cancer, in the latest health scare
for the 64-year-old.
The president was seriously injured in a knife attack while campaigning
for election last year.
His health has been a subject of concern ever since and he has undergone
several surgeries to treat the wounds he suffered in the stabbing — most
recently in September.
Wearing a bandage over his left ear, Bolsonaro told reporters outside his
residence that he had visited a dermatologist at an air force hospital in the
capital Brasilia.
“I have fair skin, I fish a lot, I do a lot of activities. So the
possibility of skin cancer exists,” he said.
“I don’t know if they’re going to do a biopsy,” the president said,
according to local media. “They treated me, they poked at me, they gave me
anesthesia. I fell asleep. I was so tired I lay down on the couch and fell
asleep.”
“For now, (Hamilton) Mourao is still the vice president, you can be sure,”
Bolsonaro joked.
The president had been scheduled to fly to the northeastern state of Bahia
late Wednesday to mark the start of an airport renovation, but the visit was
cancelled the day before.
A presidential spokesman said earlier that Bolsonaro was undergoing
routine exams and was in a “good state of health.”
BSS/AFP/MSY/1253 hrs