Former South African President Nelson Mandela is “responding positively” to treatment for a recurring lung infection, President Jacob Zuma’s office said on Thursday.
Photo: REUTERS/Michael Kooren
The BBC reports that Mandela is “breathing without difficulty” — surely a relief for the South African icon, his family, and his legions of admirers worldwide.
Mandela, 94, who has a history of respiratory problems, had a pleural effusion, or fluid in or around the lungs, which had been drained, according to the presidency.
“This has resulted in him now being able to breathe without difficulty. He continues to respond to treatment and is comfortable,” said presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj. His statement was the first suggesting that Mandela had experienced difficulty breathing in recent days.
Earlier updates from South Africa’s presidency said Mandela was in good spirits, responding well, and eating breakfast.
It’s not the first time the government has been slow to report the details around the iconic former South African leader’s illnesses—the details of Mandela’s December hospital visit, which included a serious lung infection and gall stones, were not fully revealed until after he left the hospital. He has remained under constant medical care since his release from the hospital in December.
EDIT: So, anyone notice how Tumblr flipped the order of the title and link on link posts? It’s kind of annoying.
Former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa was readmitted to the hospital overnight because of a recurring lung infection, President Jacob Zuma said in a statement on Thursday, appealing to people around the world to pray for Mr. Mandela.
It was the third time in four months that Mr. Mandela, 94, South Africa’s first black president and former leader of the dominant African National Congress, had been hospitalized. He was admitted shortly before midnight on Wednesday, the statement said, but the authorities delayed the announcement for several hours. The episode rekindled worries about his frailty.
Mr. Mandela has struggled with lung issues since his 27-year incarceration during South Africa’s apartheid era, and was most recently hospitalized for a lung infection back in December.
Anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, 94, released from hospital in South Africa
(Photo: Odd Andersen / AFP - Getty Images)
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Former South African President Nelson Mandela was released from a hospital in Pretoria on Wednesday evening, a government spokesman told NBC News.
Can we just ponder on the fact that Nelson Mandela has managed to live 94 years despite all the stuff he had to battle against to become this universally-regarded elder statesman? It’s pretty impressive.
Nelson Mandela spends second day in hospital: “He has not been talking … he is not looking good. It’s clear that something is troubling him,” one source close to the 94-year-old South African icon told The Sunday Times, a South African newspaper. Despite this, the government has continued to reassure the public about his health. (Reuters photo)
President Zuma assures all that Madiba is doing well and there is no need for alarm. We have previously said, and we repeat, that he will be receiving medical attention from time to time which is consistent with his age.South African presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj • Speaking on the news of Nelson Mandela (called by his Xhosa tribe name, Madiba) undergoing hospitalization today. Mandela, 94, has had one hospital visit this year already, but the South African government insists the beloved leader is merely undergoing tests “consistent with his age.” source
Former US President Bill Clinton meets with former South African President Nelson Mandela at his home in Qunu, South Africa, Tuesday, July 17, 2012 on the eve of Mandela’s 94th birthday.
Two diplomatic icons who defined the ’90s better than any others.
May 10, 1994: Nelson Mandela Becomes President of South Africa
On this day in 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president. Mandela had spent 27 years imprisoned for working in the anti-apartheid movement.
FRONTLINE’s “The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela” site takes an inside look at his childhood, revolutionary years, imprisonment, and personal life.
The journey of one of the world’s great elder statesmen.
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Let’s celebrate Nelson Mandela’s birthday: New rule: If you live until 93 and become the catalyst for the end of Apartheid, you automatically get a giant cake like this one. (AP Photo)
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