Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is currently fighting pneumonia in an intensive care unit at a Brasilia medical facility, according to hospital officials who released a statement Friday.
The 70-year-old’s transfer from prison to DF Star Hospital occurred after he developed symptoms including chills and vomiting upon waking, his son Flávio Bolsonaro reported on social media platform X.
“I ask for prayers that it not be anything serious,” Flávio posted online. The younger Bolsonaro has announced his intention to seek the presidency this year, with recent polling data showing him nearly even with current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro is currently incarcerated while serving a 27-year prison term for coup-related charges, following his conviction last year by Brazil’s Supreme Court justices.
Medical staff at the hospital documented his arrival with elevated body temperature, reduced oxygen levels, excessive sweating, and severe chills. Diagnostic testing revealed bronchopneumonia, a specific form of the lung infection that doctors believe resulted from aspiration.
“He is currently hospitalized in the intensive care unit, receiving IV antibiotics and non-invasive clinical support,” hospital representatives stated.
This marks another in a series of medical emergencies for Bolsonaro, who has required hospital care repeatedly since surviving a stabbing attack during a 2018 campaign rally.
Just last month, law enforcement officers accompanied him to the identical medical center for neurological examinations after he suffered a fall from his bed.
In September, Bolsonaro and multiple associates received convictions for conspiring to dismantle Brazil’s democratic institutions after his 2022 electoral loss. The conspiracy involved assassination plots targeting Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, along with plans to incite civil unrest in early 2023.
Additional charges against Bolsonaro include orchestrating an armed criminal enterprise and attempting to violently destroy democratic governance. He continues to maintain his innocence on all counts.
