AIDS Killing Romania’s Children

At Victor Babes Hospital, rows of cribs hold small, shriveled babies slowly dying of AIDS.

Manea Gabriel, 11 months old, could scarcely breathe. Her frightened eyes scanned the room as she failed to find the strength to raise a tiny hand.

The cries of Mihai Van, 7 months old, were reduced to a mere rattle by the deadly disease.

The ward was filled with 68 other babies who had been born to die.

Dr. Jacques LeBas, president of Medicins du Monde, an international organization that provides humanitarian aid to needy countries, said Monday that AIDS-infected children constitute the most serious health problem facing Romania today.

Investigations during the past few days have revealed a startlingly high proportion of babies with acquired immune deficiency syndrome, LeBas said. Of 1,025 babies tested at hospitals and orphanages, 367, more than one-third, were carrying the disease, and 60% of those had symptoms of fully developed AIDS.

Urgent help is needed from the European Community, “otherwise more babies will die in this most awful way,” he said.

“We need everything--medical equipment, specialists, money and information,” LeBas said. “This morning I saw a pediatrician using the same syringe several times. When I asked why, she replied that it was the only one she had.”

AIDS is commonly transmitted by contaminated needles.