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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has canceled engagements in the coming days after contracting pneumonia.
Her illness was confirmed by a Commission spokesperson on Friday, who added that she would not be attending a Polish EU presidency inauguration event.
“The president has canceled her external engagements for the first two weeks of January. She is dealing with a severe pneumonia,” said European Commission spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker.
“The canceled appointments include a speech in Lisbon and the scheduled trip to Gdańsk on the occasion of the launch of the Polish Council presidency, which will take place at a later stage,” he added.
Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs, usually caused by an infection, which triggers a range of flu-like symptoms, including a cough and fatigue. Most people recover within a few weeks, but babies, elderly people and those with compromised immune systems can take longer to get better.
This story is being updated.
