Sharon stable as infection treated

Nearly a year after his first stroke, former prime minister Ariel Sharon was in stable condition at Sheba Medical Center's intensive care unit Saturday night, where he was moved Friday for treatment for an infection that is affecting his heart and reduced its function. Spokesmen for the Tel Hashomer hospital said there was no change over Shabbat. Unconscious and attached to a respirator since his second stroke on January 4, he is receiving powerful antibiotics to try to overcome the infection. The spokesmen said he could have received the same treatment at Sheba's respiratory rehabilitation department, where he has been since the summer, but it was more convenient for him to be in intensive care. The last time Sharon, 78, was in intensive care was in August, when he was treated for an infection that affected his kidney function.