Byrd Has Staph Infection, Remains Hospitalized

By Ben Pershing
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who has been hospitalized since mid-May, has contracted a staph infection and will remain in the hospital for now, his office said in a statement released today.

"According to his doctors, Senator Byrd developed a staph infection during his initial hospitalization for treatment for a minor infection," the statement said. "This, in turn, has delayed his departure from the hospital at this time. Doctors have been treating him with antibiotics for the infection and he has been responding well. There has been no additional indication as to when he will be released from the hospital."

The 91-year-old Byrd, the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, was hospitalized May 15 with what his office has described only as a "minor infection." On May 18th, his spokesman suggested Byrd would be home in a matter of days, but he has not yet been released. At the request of his family, Byrd's office has declined to identify which hospital is treating him.

Byrd has been hospitalized several times in recent years with a variety of ailments. Last November, Byrd gave up the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee after many of his colleagues became concerned he could no longer manage the job.