Apple has responded to widely-spread rumors that Apple's "irreplaceable" CEO, Steve Jobs, is ill again. This week, an Apple spokesperson set the record straight (at least for now), telling the Wall Street Journal that, in recent weeks, Jobs has been suffering from a "common bug."

The first concerns (this year) about Steve Jobs' health were raised after the company's World Wide Developers Conference debut, where Apple's CEO stepped on stage and started talking about what they had been working on lately. Although Steve appeared vivid and full of energy in front of the anxious crowd, he had an observably slimmer figure compared to the last time he appeared in front of a crowd - meaning, on the occasion of his last keynote presentation held in Cupertino, on March 6 (the iPhone Software Roadmap event).

Feeling compelled to respond to these concerns, an Apple spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that Jobs' health as of late was simply affected by a "common bug." The spokesperson implied that Jobs insisted he should be on stage at the event's debut, as the iPhone is now becoming a key piece in the company's business. The spokesperson also noted that Jobs was only recovering with antibiotics.

Mac-based websites didn't take long to pick up on this illness rumor, and not one single media outlet considered not reporting it, given Jobs' well known fight with cancer. Years ago, Jobs underwent what is called the "Whipple Operation" to deal with his pancreatic cancer, 9to5mac informs. Here's why everyone's so concerned Apple's CEO might now be experiencing side effects:

In the Whipple operation the head of the pancreas, a portion of the bile duct, the gallbladder and the duodenum is removed. Occasionally, a portion of the stomach may also be removed. After removal of these structures the remaining pancreas, bile duct and the intestine is sutured back into the intestine to direct the gastrointestinal secretions back into the gut...

...What are the long-term complications of the Whipple operation?

Loss of weight: It is common for patients to lose up to 5 to 10% of their body weight compared to their weight prior to their illness. The weight loss usually stabilizes very rapidly and most patients after a small amount of initial weight loss are able to maintain their weight and do well.

Of course, there's always the possibility that Steve has been working around the clock to ensure everything goes smoothly at WWDC '08. What do you think, could Steve's cancer be a "sore loser"?