Updated at 9:35 a.m. ET
JOHANNESBURG The South African presidency says former President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from a hospital after an improvement in his condition.
A statement from the office of President Jacob Zuma says 94-year-old Mandela was discharged on Saturday and will now receive care at his home. Officials say he was treated for pneumonia.
The statement sent to media outlets, including CBS News, described Mandela's improvement as "sustained and gradual."
Mandela was admitted to a hospital in the South African capital of Pretoria on the night of March 27. It was his third trip to a hospital since December.
In the statement, Zuma thanked the medical team and hospital staff that looked after Mandela.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been particularly vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment for fighting white racist rule in his country.
The elderly are especially vulnerable to pneumonia, which can be fatal. Its symptoms include fever, chills, a cough, chest pain and shortness of breath. Many germs cause pneumonia.
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[h=3]Obama: "Deeply concerned" about Nelson Mandela's health[/h]
Many South Africans included Mandela in their prayers during Easter last weekend, and presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said expressions of concern poured in from around the world. President Obama said he was worried about Mandela's health, but noted he was as strong physically as he has been in leadership and character.
Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994 after elections were held, bringing an end to the system of white racist rule known as apartheid. After his release from prison in 1990, Mandela was widely credited with averting even greater bloodshed by helping the country in the transition to democratic rule.
Mandela is a revered figure in his homeland, which has named buildings and many other places after him and uses his image on national bank notes. He is also seen around the world as a symbol of reconciliation.
JOHANNESBURG The South African presidency says former President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from a hospital after an improvement in his condition.
A statement from the office of President Jacob Zuma says 94-year-old Mandela was discharged on Saturday and will now receive care at his home. Officials say he was treated for pneumonia.
The statement sent to media outlets, including CBS News, described Mandela's improvement as "sustained and gradual."
Mandela was admitted to a hospital in the South African capital of Pretoria on the night of March 27. It was his third trip to a hospital since December.
In the statement, Zuma thanked the medical team and hospital staff that looked after Mandela.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been particularly vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment for fighting white racist rule in his country.
The elderly are especially vulnerable to pneumonia, which can be fatal. Its symptoms include fever, chills, a cough, chest pain and shortness of breath. Many germs cause pneumonia.
[h=3]Obama: "Deeply concerned" about Nelson Mandela's health[/h]
Many South Africans included Mandela in their prayers during Easter last weekend, and presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said expressions of concern poured in from around the world. President Obama said he was worried about Mandela's health, but noted he was as strong physically as he has been in leadership and character.
Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994 after elections were held, bringing an end to the system of white racist rule known as apartheid. After his release from prison in 1990, Mandela was widely credited with averting even greater bloodshed by helping the country in the transition to democratic rule.
Mandela is a revered figure in his homeland, which has named buildings and many other places after him and uses his image on national bank notes. He is also seen around the world as a symbol of reconciliation.