World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was briefly hospitalized with "symptoms of labyrinthitis and a hypertensive crisis" on Wednesday, Breitbart reported. Tedros, 59, was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the G20 summit when it occurred.
Tedros was experiencing symptoms consistent with labyrinthitis, an infection of the inner ear that may cause dizziness and vertigo. He underwent "necessary tests," which ultimately found "no signs of seriousness" that would require further action.
The WHO chief was kept overnight for observation and given medication to help with his hypertension. By Thursday, Tedros was released and "back to work," he said in a statement.
"I felt unwell yesterday afternoon and was admitted to Samaritano Barra Hospital in Rio, but I was discharged this morning and am back to work," Tedros said, according to Reuters. During the summit, Tedros met with President Joe Biden and other world leaders to discuss health issues facing the world, including hypertension.
The WHO released its report on Sept. 19, 2023, outlining the health crisis caused by hypertension. "Most heart attacks and strokes in the world today can be prevented with affordable, safe, accessible medicines and other interventions, such as sodium reduction," Michael R. Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, said in the report.
"Treating hypertension through primary health care will save lives, while also saving billions of dollars a year," Bloomberg said of the initiative. Tedros also revealed that he suffered from high blood pressure while touting the new report at the time.
"Hypertension is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, affecting 1 in 3 adults – including me. I am fortunate that I was diagnosed early and have access to good medical care," Tedros said in his remarks in a video shared on Instagram.
"Unfortunately, the same is not true for the majority of those with hypertension, especially for those in lower-income countries and communities. Today, at [the United Nations General Assembly], we launched the first-ever hypertension report," Tedros said.
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Aside from Tedros' mild health crisis, there were other notable incidents at the summit. One of those occurred during the so-called "family photo" traditionally snapped of attendees.
According to the Associated Press, Biden missed the traditional group photo, which "left Chinese President Xi Jinping front and center," the news outlet noted. Also missing was Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who came over to the group after the photo had already been snapped.
A Biden staffer who was not at liberty to speak publicly about it said the oversight came down to "logistical issues." This will be the last time Biden attends the summit as president.
The G20 summit brings together leaders like Biden, Trudeau, and Tedros under the guise of solving the world's problems. Issues from geopolitical conflicts to health topics are discussed and workshopped.
Unfortunately, it's also often an excuse to impose more control and big government on the world. While these meetings likely yield some goodwill among nations, the players typically want more control over ordinary citizens as the answer to all of the issues raised.
