TORONTO – When is a personal health problem a public concern?
   
Some observers say the answer is any time it involves a political figure.
   
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford recently made headlines this week for checking himself into hospital after an allergic reaction caused complications with his asthma.
   
Globe and Mail health columnist Andre Picard says he supports Ford’s willingness to be frank about his medical condition.
   
He says the mayor’s approach mirrors the United States, where the results of  the  president’s annual checkup are always made public.
   
Others say the issue is more complex.
   
Ryerson University politics professor Bryan Evans says public figures are entitled to privacy and have the right to keep quiet about their health.
   
He says Ford’s recent updates on his hospital stay, as well as his “cut the waist” weight loss challenge, basically amount to a public relations strategy.