As World Aids day approaches, the virus will once again be brought to the public’s attention. It was on the 6th of January 2005 that Nelson Mandela publically announced the death of his son Makgatho Mandela. The former President of South Africa declared that his son had ‘died of AIDS’ and in doing so he hoped to fight the stigma surrounding the disease. He mentioned to the Sunday Times that he’d also suffered problems with his pancreas. Makgatho had been receiving antiretroviral treatment for more than a year.
Pancreatitis and gall bladder problems, caused by lactic acidosis, are a well known consequence of the ARV drug. This side-effect has almost been hidden from the public eye, due to the medication being constantly billed as ‘life-saving’ despite the potentially lethal levels of toxicity. Many newspapers even have an editorial policy to promote the sale of these drugs and to overlook any countervailing information.
It seems ironic that Makgatho’s death was perhaps related to the very drugs that his Father campaigned for, but we must also remember the work that Nelson Mandela did and continues to do for HIV/AIDS is remarkable. He challenged the taboo that surrounds the disease and urged people to talk openly about the subject.
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