Graham In Hospital With Pneumonia

The Rev. Billy Graham has pneumonia but is responding well to treatment, his doctor said Thursday.

The 79-year-old evangelist was hospitalized Wednesday night for treatment of the respiratory infection, which he developed during a Caribbean vacation.

“He’s responding nicely. I don’t think there will be any complications,” said Dr. Charles Burger, pulmonary medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic-Jacksonville, who is treating Graham.

Graham is listed in fair condition at St. Luke’s Hospital, which is affiliated with the Mayo Clinic- Jacksonville, a satellite clinic of the famous Rochester, Minn., clinic.

Physicians ran a series of tests on Graham on Thursday which indicate the infection in his right lung is clearing, his fever has subsided and his white blood count is back to normal.

“I’m pleased how he is doing medically,” Burger said. The physician refused to speculate on how many days Graham will be in the hospital, saying it would be a day-today decision based on his progress.

“If he continues to improve, it will be only a few days,” Burger said.

He said Graham’s Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological disorder, is not related to his illness and will have no effect on the treatment of his pneumonia. Graham is being treated with antibiotics.