UNITED STATES—Senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, (D-California) announced that she has been diagnosed with shingles on Thursday, March 2, and is being treated at a hospital in San Francisco. She is expected to make a full recovery.
In a statement Feinstein, who was the Mayor of San Francisco back in the 1960’s, explained that she contracted the illness while the Senate was in recess late last month. She said that she hopes to return to the Senate later this month.
Reports of the Senator’s declining health along with a push from those within her own party to replace her, has resulted in Democrats requesting that she resign before her term ends in January 2025.
Feinstein plans on retiring from congress by the end of 2024 which she first announced in February. Many politicians are running to take her place. She has served 30 years in the Senate and over 50 years in public office. She turns 90 in June and is the oldest sitting senator and longest living senator from the State of California.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, one out of three people in the U.S. will develop shingles over their lifetime and an estimated 1 million Americans get shingles each year.
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, and can often be painful. Age and previous chickenpox infection are risk factors. The chance of getting shingles becomes much greater by the age of 70.
