US secretary of state Hillary Clinton was discharged from a New York City hospital overnight and is expected to make a full recovery from the ailments that kept her from public view for more than three weeks, according to the US state department.
"She's eager to get back to the office, and we will keep you updated on her schedule as it becomes clearer in the coming days," Philippe Reines, deputy assistant secretary of state for public affairs and a long-time Clinton aide, said in a statement.
Mrs Clinton was hospitalised on December 30th for a blood clot found that day between her brain and skull, according to her aides. They said the clot was discovered when an MRI scan was performed during a check-up before Ms Clinton's planned return to work at the state department.
Earlier, the secretary suffered a concussion three weeks ago after fainting at home from dehydration while ill with a stomach virus, the aides have said.
Mrs Clinton's medical team advised yesterday that she is "making good progress on all fronts, and they are confident she will make a full recovery," Mr Reines said.
A former first lady, US senator and presidential candidate, Mrs Clinton (65) is one of the world's best-known figures and ranks in polls as the early Democratic favourite for president in 2016 if she chooses to run again. In a Gallup survey of Americans released over the weekend, she ranked as the most-admired woman in the world for the 11th consecutive year.
Until Mrs Clinton's hospital discharge was announced, the lack of detailed information on her condition created a vacuum that was filled in part by speculation and misinformation.
Her staffers had provided terse and intermittent updates on her health since she last appeared at a public event, in Belfast on December 7th. State department officials had yesterday declined to reply directly when asked whether she was still a patient at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Conflicting news reports emerged when Mrs Clinton, looking well and walking unassisted, was spotted climbing into a black Ford Explorer outside a hospital building.
The secretary of state, who would turn 69 during the 2016 election year, has repeatedly dismissed speculation that she may run for president again.
State department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland rejected the notion that the department hasn't been open enough in reporting on Ms Clinton's health. The department had issued eight statements in the last three weeks, two of which had been signed by Mrs Clinton's physicians, Ms Nuland said before the announcement of her discharge.
Mrs Clinton phoned United Nations special envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi and Qatari prime minister and foreign minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani to discuss Syria and other Middle East issues on December 29th, according to Ms Nuland.
As secretary of state, Mrs Clinton traveled over 150,000km and visited 112 countries over 401 days, according to the state department website. Now, she has said she intends to pursue her advocacy for women and children outside of government after leaving the state department at the start of Barack Obama's second term as president.
Mr Obama last month named Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as his choice to succeed Mrs Clinton.