Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s health has taken a turn for the worse as he battles a “new and severe” lung infection in the wake of a trouble-plagued cancer surgery, the government said Monday. In a televised announcement, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Chávez’s respiratory problems had grown more severe since the chemotherapy he is receiving in Caracas has left his immune system compromised. “The president’s condition continues to be very delicate,” Villegas read from a prepared statement. “The commander president is holding onto Christ and life, conscious of the difficulties he is facing and following the strict program created by his medical team.’’