HILO, Hawaii Island (AP) — Mayor Harry Kim has been diagnosed with walking pneumonia.
Managing Director Wil Okabe said Tuesday that Kim is continuing his work, despite his condition. He is taking antibiotics to address the problem.
Okabe said the mayor remains in charge, but is “pacing himself to ensure the county is running smoothly.”
Hawaii Island Mayor Harry Kim is battling health issues as he faces the challenge of an erupting volcano. Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Okabe said that Kim is awaiting the results of medical tests. The 78-year-old had at least one, possibly two heart attacks in late April.
He underwent a heart procedure on Oahu, where doctors told him he had a heart attack in Hilo, and possibly a second in Honolulu.
It was his fourth and possibly fifth such attack.
Meanwhile, county officials are dealing with an already spectacular disaster with an uncertain future as lava from the erupting Kilauea volcano continues to spread through fissures in the island’s southeast corner.
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