Mandela To Receive Honorary Doctorate From Swedish University for HIV/AIDS Work

Sweden's Karolinska Institute on May 13 is scheduled to award former South African President Nelson Mandela an honorary doctorate in medicine for his "unique efforts" to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, AFP/News24.com reports (AFP/News24.com, 3/3). Karolinska is Sweden's largest medical university and each year awards the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physics (Associated Press, 3/2). Mandela "has helped put medical science and experience-based health care knowledge into practice" and has "acted forcefully to influence not just his own country but even world opinion and world leaders concerning what is one of the most infectious diseases of our time," according to a Karolinska Institute release. "Karolinska Institute and its researchers admire Nelson Mandela for his openness and driving force in showing what needs to be done to stop the epidemic. Not least has he shown concern for those affected and has thereby helped to reduce the stigma of the disease" (Karolinska Institute release, 3/3). Mandela is "one of a few" South African leaders who has publicly acknowledged that one of his family members has died of AIDS-related causes, according to AFP/News24.com (AFP/News24.com, 3/3). Mandela in January announced that his son Makgatho, who was 54, died of AIDS-related pneumonia. Mandela at a news conference said, "Let us give publicity to HIV/AIDS and not hide it because the only way to make it appear like a normal illness, like TB, like cancer, is always to come out and say somebody has died because of HIV/AIDS, and people will stop regarding it as something extraordinary" (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/31).