Venezuela Says Chavez’s Health Status is ‘Not Favorable’

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s breathing trouble has persisted and “his tendency hasn’t been favorable,” Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said today.

Chavez, 58, is being treated for an undisclosed type of cancer at a Caracas military hospital without any adverse effects, Villegas said during a speech broadcast on state television, adding that the former paratrooper was in contact with his family.

Chavez Health Condition ‘Hasn’t Been Favorable,’ Minister Says

Geraldo Caso/AFP/Getty Images

A woman carrying a poster of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez crosses the street in front of the military hospital where the ailing leader has been hospitalized following his return from Cuba in Caracas on Feb. 20, 2013.

A woman carrying a poster of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez crosses the street in front of the military hospital where the ailing leader has been hospitalized following his return from Cuba in Caracas on Feb. 20, 2013. Photographer: Geraldo Caso/AFP/Getty Images

“Chavez is maintaining his faith in Christ,” Villegas said.

Chavez returned to Caracas on Feb. 18 after more than two months of treatment in Cuba. Apart from photos released last week and Twitter messages sent by Chavez upon arrival, the former paratrooper hasn’t been seen or heard from since traveling to Havana. No images of his arrival or hospital stay have been released by the government.

Villegas said Feb. 15 that Chavez is suffering from a“delicate” respiratory infection that has left him speechless and requires the use of a tracheal tube.