FORMER PRIME Minister Edward Seaga has been admitted to hospital in Miami, Florida, after suffering an intense bout of coughing.

Olivia Grange, minister of information, culture, youth and sports, said yesterday in a release that Seaga was undergoing medical tests. She said doctors had, however, ruled out pneumonia.

Seaga told Grange in a conversation yesterday that the coughing bouts were triggered by damage to one of his lungs, after he contracted pneumonia 34 years ago in 1974.

He said the coughing fit had become more frequent in recent years and resurfaced earlier this week in Miami, where he was visiting his daughter and other family members.