Vatican Asks for Free and Effective Treatments on AIDS Patients

Cardinal Secretary of the Vatican State, Tarcisio Bertone

The Cardinal Secretary of the Vatican State, Tarcisio Bertone, suggested today at the “Hail the mothers, hail the children” conference that AIDS patients should get “a free and effective treatment”.

Bertone assured that studies made by Catholic organizations and the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that this is economically “acceptable”.

“It’s not a utopia: it is possible. Both in Africa and Europe we have a duty to reach all HIV-positive pregnant women, provide them with antiretroviral therapy, allowing them to give birth to a child free of AIDS who can grow with its mother “, said Bertone.

The cardinal insisted that the economic weakness of most African populations and women must not be forgotten, therefore “free access to treatments is necessary”. (MZ)