By Kay Henderson
DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Six-term Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is being treated for flu-like symptoms and will spend Monday night in a Des Moines hospital after falling ill at a public event earlier in the day, the governor's office said.
Branstad, 68, told reporters earlier on Monday he was suffering from a bad cold and then became ill during a visit to a research facility in Johnston, Iowa, a Des Moines suburb. He was taken by ambulance to Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines.
"He is being observed and hydrated after having flu-like symptoms," spokesman Jimmy Centers said in a statement. "The governor has been admitted and will be kept overnight out of an abundance of caution."
Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds, who also has been battling a cold, have canceled public events for Tuesday to rest and recover from seasonal illness, Centers said. Branstad had received a flu shot this season, Centers added.
Branstad, who had varicose vein surgery at the end of December, has a history of heart problems. Doctors inserted a stent after a heart attack in December 2000 and inserted a second stent in 2010 after routine tests found a partially blocked artery.
Branstad, a Republican, served four terms as Iowa's governor from 1983 to 1999 and then returned to win election in 2010 and re-election last November.