Hillary Clinton Suffers Concussion, Sen. Kerry Likely Successor

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has sustained a concussion after fainting from dehydration at her home early last week.

Clinton, 65, has been suffering from a stomach virus and had to cancel a trip to Morocco and the Persian Gulf on Monday.

A State Department spokesman informed Clinton has been under the care of doctors.

"At their recommendation, she will continue to work from home next week, staying in regular contact with department and other officials," the spokesperson said in a statement. "She is looking forward to being back in the office soon."

Because of her illness, she will not testify at congressional hearings Thursday about the Sept. 11 attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, according to a statement from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Washington Post writes.

In her place, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Deputy Secretary of State for Management Thomas Nides are scheduled to appear before the House committee and likely its Senate counterpart, the Foreign Relations Committee.

The Washington Post reminds that the administration of President Barack Obama faces lingering questions about the episode, in which US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed, including whether Stevens had sufficient security and what US officials knew before they blamed the attack on a protest over an anti-Islam video. Later intelligence showed that there was no protest and that the heavily armed attackers were linked to extremist militias.

Clinton developed a virus after returning from a trip to Europe. Several members of her staff also were ill.

She has said that she will leave the job after the Senate confirms a successor. One of the leading candidates, UN Ambassador Susan Rice, withdrew from consideration on Thursday, saying Republican opposition to her because of statements she made on television talk shows five days after the Benghazi attack would have distracted the President from other objectives.

Obama is expected to nominate Sen. John F. Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat and former presidential candidate, early next week as Clinton's replacement.