AFRICA - AIDS kills and disintegrates families. So far 1,300 children out of 25,000 patients protected by Programme Drug Resource Enhancement against Aids and Malnutrition (Dream)

Friday, 19 May 2006

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Rome (Fides Service) - This morning at the Campidoglio, in Rome, there was the 4th International Conference “We too want to live”, promoted by the S. Egidio Community with regard to its DREAM programme to prevent children from being infected with HIV/AIDS
The aim of the conference was to draw attention of European and African institutions and the international scientific community and public opinion to the conditions of children in Africa and the risk of HIV/AIDS.
“AIDS kills and disintegrates families and this is why DREAM aims to protect the African family”, said Leonardo Palombi who with Maria Cristina Marazzi, is in charge of the programme. In their reports they illustrated the programme and latest achievements since the programme was launched in Africa in February 2002.
In 2002 only 20 children were receiving treatment, today 1,300 of 25,000 patients care for by DREAM are children. The speakers mentioned main difficulties such as diagnosis which calls for competency and means; available drugs, syrup difficult to does, give and preserve; frailty and poverty of families and social conditions, lack of services for children, lack of economic sustainability.
“The priority said Palombi, is a question of justice: offering aid sufferers in Africa the same treatment as in the West.”
There was also an intervention by Dr Karin Nielsen of the Department of Paediatrics and Infectious Diseases at UCLA Los Angeles, USA. Among those present government ministers of health from 17 African countries.
DREAM programme aims to control, prevent and treat in the global fight against HIV/AIDS in countries with limited resources. The programme is promoted by the S. Egidio Community in cooperation with local hospitals, religious congregations and dioceses. It was born with the objective to combine prevention and treatment on the basis of the principle that it is necessary to save lives as well as prevent disease. DREAM is operative in Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Angola. Other centres will be opened in Angola, Congo and Nigeria. The programme also distributes food to complete nutritional needs. (AP) (19/5/2006 Agenzia Fides; Righe:36; Parole: 387)