Lack of transparency makes a mystery out of President Bolsonaro’s health

Hospitalized since January 27 for surgery to remove a colostomy bag he has used since his September 6 stabbing, President Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with pneumonia. After doctors at the Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo detected a fever on Wednesday evening, Mr. Bolsonaro underwent a CT scan which showed inflammation in his lungs compatible with the respiratory infection.

This development comes four days after the president began a course of antibiotics to treat a suspected infection to his abdominal region, where the surgery was carried out. With the identification of pneumonia, his treatment has been altered.

All the while, Jair Bolsonaro’s Twitter account is active, posting regular updates and grandstanding about current events. Less than one hour after the medical report disclosed the pneumonia diagnosis, the president tweeted that “we are calm, well and strong,” and warned his...