imageBANGKOK: Thailand's 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch, is recovering after a respiratory infection, the palace said in a statement Sunday.

The king has no fever and a blood test showed a decrease in inflammation, it said, adding that an x-ray of his lungs showed no sign of inflammation. It is the fourth health statement in over a week and follows a bulletin on Wednesday which said that the king had shown further improvement following a severe infection.

Doctors have stopped administering antibiotics to the king and will closely monitor his kidneys, the palace statement added.

The king has been treated for various ailments during a year-long hospitalization in the Thai capital. King Bhumibol is deeply revered in Thailand where he is accorded semi-divine status.

Many Thais see him as a pillar of stability in a country subject to bouts of political instability and which has been ruled by a military junta since 2014.

The king was last seen in public on January 11.

Copyright Reuters, 2016

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