Sharon in intensive care after heart infection

FORMER Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was yesterday taken to an intensive care unit after his overall condition and heart function deteriorated, a hospital spokesman said.

Mr Sharon, who has been in a coma since a stroke in January, contracted an infection that affected his heart, said a spokesman for Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv. Mr Sharon’s condition was described as “stable”.

Experts have speculated that because of the severity of his stroke, Mr Sharon, Israel’s prime minister from 2001-2006, is unlikely to recover. The 78-year-old has undergone several extensive brain operations to stop cerebral haemorrhaging.