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Dhaka, Bangladesh - Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed has been admitted to hospital here with a viral fever, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
The 77-year-old president fell ill two days ago and was admitted to the Combined Military Hospital in the capital Dhaka late on Monday evening as a precaution, press secretary Abdul Awal Hawlader said.
'The president has been suffering from fever for two days and he was admitted to hospital because his temperature was very high. Medical reports show it is a viral fever, and his temperature is now improving,' he said.
Mr Ahmed was elected president by the parliament in September 2002 after the resignation of A.Q.M. Badruddoza Chowdhury, who fell out with then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The head of state has had little authority over day-to-day affairs since a change in the constitution in 1991 vested most powers in the prime minister.
However, in January 2007, Mr Ahmed declared a state of emergency after elections were cancelled following months of political unrest.
An interim government backed by the powerful armed forces has been running the country since then and the emergency remains in place. -- AFP
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