Former US president Jimmy Carter has been admitted to hospital for treatment of a urinary tract infection, a spokeswoman said.

Deanna Congileo, a spokeswoman for the Carter Centre, said the 95-year-old was admitted to Phoebe Sumter Medical Centre in Americus, Georgia, over the weekend.

“He is feeling better and looks forward to returning home soon. We will issue a statement when he is released for further rest and recovery at home,” she added.

Mr Carter has overcome several health challenges in recent years.

He was diagnosed with melanoma in 2015, announcing that the cancer had spread to other parts of his body. After partial removal of his liver, treatment for brain lesions, radiation and immunotherapy, he said he was cancer-free.

A fall last spring required him to have hip replacement surgery.

Then on October 6, he hit his head in another fall and received 14 stitches, but still travelled to Nashville to help build a Habitat for Humanity home shortly after.

He fractured his pelvis in another fall later that month and was briefly treated in hospital.

Last Wednesday, Mr Carter was released from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta after recovering from surgery to relieve pressure on his brain caused by bleeding from a fall.