The 94-year-old former South African president has been admitted with a recurrence of the lung infection he suffered in December. NBC's Rohit Kochroo reports.
By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News
Nelson Mandela suffered a recurrence of his lung infection and was taken to a hospital late Wednesday.
In a statement, the current South African President Jacob Zuma said, ?We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba [a nickname for Mandela] and his family and to keep them in their thoughts.?
?We have full confidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything possible to ensure recovery,? he added. ?The Presidency appeals once again for understanding and privacy in order to allow space to the doctors to do their work.?
Mandela, 94, was taken to a hospital just before midnight local time (6 p.m. ET).
The statement said that Mandela had the ?best possible expert in medical treatment and comfort.?
Mandela has a history of lung problems dating back to when he contracted tuberculosis as a political prisoner in the notorious Robben Island jail under the apartheid regime.?
The South African president?s office issued another statement later Thursday saying that Mandela was ?responding positively to the treatment.?
/
View images of civil rights leader Nelson Mandela, who went from anti-apartheid activist to prisoner to South Africa's first black president.
?He remains under treatment and observation in hospital,? it added.
'Be strong'
Jackson Mthembu, a spokesman for the African National Congress, said in a statement that the party once led by Mandela ?calls on all South Africans and the world to keep Nelson Mandela in their prayers.?
?We are confident that the treatment will be successful as he is in professional and competent hands,? he said.
?During these trying times we wish President Mandela well and for his family to be strong," he added.
Mandela spent nearly three weeks in a hospital in December for treatment of a lung infection and gallstone surgery.
This was the longest time he had been hospitalized since being released from captivity as a political prisoner in 1990.
He was also hospitalized earlier this month for what was described as a "scheduled medical checkup."
Mandela was president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first president of the country to be elected following the fall of the apartheid system.
NBC News' Matthew DeLuca and Rohit Kachroo, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related:
Secrecy over Mandela's health fuels concern for South Africa icon
'Who is my Mandela?' South Africans consider icon's place in a changing world
This story was originally published on Thu Mar 28, 2013 3:26 AM EDT
Kenny Clutch Edward Gorey amber rose nba trade deadline diane lane drew peterson Argo
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.