Clinton back on campaign trail as her lead disintegrates

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton returned to the campaign trail on Thursday hoping to regain the ground she seemed to have lost to Republican rival Donald Trump during her absence through illness.

Appearing at a rally in North Carolina after three days' rest following a pneumonia diagnosis, the presidential candidate proclaimed it was "great to be back". The state is one of the key battlegrounds for the election on November 8.

"With two months to go until election day, sitting at home is the last place I wanted to be," added Clinton.

She went on to compare her time off with that of average US citizens who often cannot afford to take days off from their jobs.

"I certainly feel lucky when I'm under the weather I can afford to take a few days off. Millions of Americans can't. They either go to work sick or they lose a paycheck."

The latest national poll from CBS/New York Times shows Clinton and Trump level, with other polls giving the former Secretary of State a slight lead.

Issues surrounding the candidates' health and the transparency of their medical records has dominated reporting in recent days.

The first of the highly-anticipated televised debates takes place in New York in ten days' time and both will be hoping to steal an advantage over the other in the days leading up to it.