Bolivia's Evo Morales denies life at risk from throat illness

Bolivian President Evo Morales stated Saturday that a nodule in his throat, which led him to seek treatment in Cuba, did not pose a risk to his life.

"The discomfort in my throat does not put my life in danger. It is a small nodule which must be removed through surgery in Cuba in the next few weeks... thankfully, it is not malignant," he told a press conference in the city of Cochabamba.

Morales also revealed that, before going to Cuba, he sought to treat his illness with a number of home remedies.

"They made me take anything, honey with onion, honey with garlic, vapors, even amor seco (a local herb)," he explained.

Morales added he now felt much better but would follow his treatment until the end before going to Havana for the nodule to be removed.

During Morales' stay in Cuba, rumors circulated on social media that his illness was terminal. Earlier in the week, the Bolivian government denied the rumors and said that Morales had a "benign tumor" on his vocal chords of between 1-2 millimeters.

Morales flew to Havana on March 1 to seek treatment after his throat complications had continued since January. While there, it became known he also suffered from sinusitis and a stomach infection.

source: Xinhua