www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/arafat.health.ap/index.html
CLAMART, France (AP) -- Yasser Arafat's French physicians are refusing to discuss his health crisis, leading to rampant speculation about the Pal estinian leader's dramatic deterioration. One Palestinian official ruled out leukemia, while another said it was no t a concern "for the time being." A medical guessing game has ensued, wi th talk of possible blood disorders, poisoning, a viral infection. He told a Cabinet meeting Sunday that Ara fat's "situation is between full recovery and death," said an Israeli of ficial who briefed reporters on the meeting. "Arafat's condition is improving," the official quoted Zeevi-Farkash as s aying. We don't know if it's viral infection, perhaps mono, or it's leukemia or another cancer." Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath, however, has said all types of cancer have been ruled out. As the ailing 75-year-old Arafat entered his fourth day of emergency trea tment at a French military hospital Monday, French doctors maintained th eir policy of silence. French physicians have refused to comment on the Palestinian leader's hea lth until a diagnosis can be made based on a battery of tests that start ed immediately after his arrival Friday. Together, Israelis and Palestinians are waiting impatiently for that diag nosis -- though it was unclear when it will come. Palestinian Cabinet minist er Saeb Erekat had said a medical report would be issued by early Tuesda y But Mohammed Rashid, a close Arafat aide, said results were expected Wednesday. Arafat spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said the results might not be available until Thursday. Arafat has been ill for two weeks and took a turn for the worse Wednesday , collapsing and briefly losing consciousness. Initial blood tests perfo rmed in the West Bank revealed a low blood platelet count. French physic ians at the Hopital d'Instruction des Armees de Percy, gave Arafat a pla telet transfusion shortly after his arrival. A low count indicates a possible problem with the bone marrow, where blood cells are made. Ther e are many causes of platelet decline, ranging in severity from minor to life-threatening. Poisoning, either from the toxic side effects of medicine or food contami nation, is only one of many potential explanations for the blood conditi on. An initial concern was leukemia -- which counts among its symptoms a low platelet count. "Arafat does not have leukemia," his aide, Rashid, said Sunday. Arafat's envoy in Paris, Leila Shahid, sounded less certain. "The doctors exclude for the time being any possibility of leukemia," she said, also Sunday. The Israeli parliament's Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee discussed Arafat's condition in its weekly meeting Monday. A military intelligence official told the closed-door meeting that Arafat apparently suffers fr om a severe viral infection or cancer. Israelis, including government officials, criticized the intelligence net work for failing to track Arafat's deteriorating health. "If there is one figure that intelligence is following since 1968 every d ay and every hour, and he is not too hard to follow ... it is Arafat," A kiva Eldar, a commentator, said in Israel's Army Radio morning talk show with Rafi Reshef. Everything that happened at t he Muqata (Arafat's headquarters) a couple of days ago came as a complet e surprise," he said.
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