Speaker Hastert leaves hospital

Illinois Republican treated for skin infection

Aides to Speaker Hastert said he is ready for "another busy legislative week."

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert was released Monday from a Washington-area hospital after undergoing four days of treatment for a skin infection, a House GOP aide said.

Hastert, 64, is "doing great," the aide said.

Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for the speaker, said Hastert was released at 2 p.m. "and is ready for another busy legislative week."

The speaker had been admitted Thursday to National Naval Medical Center -- commonly called Bethesda Naval Hospital -- for treatment of cellulitis, a bacterial infection.

He was to have been given intravenous antibiotic treatment to halt the infection, which had appeared several days earlier, on his lower left leg.

The infection's symptoms are a swollen, red section of skin that feels hot and tender. Untreated, it can spread quickly and be life-threatening, according to the Mayo Clinic's Web site.

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