Archbishop announces effort to help Tanzania AIDS victims

Last updated on: February 12, 2014 at 7:05 pm by CNA Daily News

Archbishop announces effort to help Tanzania AIDS victims 2014-02-12T19:05:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vatican City, Feb 12, 2014 / 12:05 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A new partnership between the Good Samaritan Foundation and Gilead Sciences will provide free HIV and AIDS testing in the diocese of Shinyanga, Tanzania as well as those who test positive.

“'The Test and Treat Project' is indeed an important result of the work engaged in by the Good Samaritan Foundation and by our Pontifical Council,” Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski said in a Feb. 11 press release announcing the initiative.

It fulfills “the mission of the Church…which Jesus himself gave as a mandate: Euntes docete et curate infirmos,” or “'go, teach and heal the sick,'” he said, quoting the Gospel of Matthew.

Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski is the president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, which oversees the Samaritan Foundation, an organization dedicated to training nurses on proper healthcare.

With their agreement with Gilead Sciences – a California research-based biopharmaceutical company seeking to discover, develop and commercialize innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need – access to free testing for HIV, and if necessary to antiretroviral therapies for about 120,000 residents of the District of Shinyanga (Mwanza, Tanzania), will now be available.

Called “Test & Treat,” the five-year project was presented yesterday to coincide with the 22nd World Day of the Sick, and in addition to the medical aspects, both the moral and hygienic training of the people will be included, as well as support for the “weakest,” beginning with orphans.

Following a specific plan of action, the project includes four specific steps, the first being to offer support to those who are already working to treat the HIV virus in Shinyanga.

After this support is given, they plan to develop specialist training programs for the social and health-care personnel involved, organize educational programs the communities for the district, and strengthen initiatives that involve help “at the level of alimentation for HIV-positive children.”

“On the basis of the statistics relating to the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the north of Tanzania, it is estimated that about 20,000 people of those who will have free clinical analyses…will, unfortunately, be HIV-positive,” Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski explained.

“However, they will immediately be able to have access, again without any charge, to the antiretroviral drugs that they need.”

Explaining the process of treatment for those who test positive for the virus, Archbishop Zimowski noted that first they will be made “aware of their condition,” and assured of “a life expectancy of another thirty years or more.”

It will also “enable expectant women to avoid the transmission of the virus to their unborn children,” he noted.

Gregg Alton, Gilead’s executive vice president of Corporate and Medical Affairs, observed in the press release that in the future, this initiative could become “a point of reference for all future programs for the diagnosis and treatment of the virus and its correlated illnesses in economically disadvantaged countries.”

“We are very happy to be able to work with the Good Samaritan Foundation,” Alton expressed, “because we know about its pioneering courage in providing care and treatment to the victims of HIV/AIDS.”

Vatican

Previous Post

February 12, 2014

Vatican analyst explores continuity of Francis, Benedict in book

Next Post

February 12, 2014 Christians are most persecuted group on earth, legislators told

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book of the Bible has the longest chapter?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Isaiah Genesis Psalms Jeremiah