UNWED BIRTH RATE REACHES ALL-TIME HIGH IN U.S.REPORT: Record number of babies born in 2007; 40 percent to single moms: More babies were born in the United States in 2007 than any year in the nations history, topping the peak during the baby boom 50 years earlier, federal researchers reported Wednesday. There is both good and bad news from the more than 4.3 million births: The U.S. population is more than replacing itself, a healthy trend. However, the teen birth rate was up for the second year in a row.
VATICAN DEFENDS POPE CONDOMS STAND, CRITICISM MOUNTS: The Vatican on Wednesday defended Pope Benedict's opposition to the use of condoms to stop the spread of AIDS as activists, doctors and politicians criticized it as unrealistic, unscientific and dangerous. Benedict, arriving in Africa, said on Tuesday that condoms "increase the problem" of AIDS. The comment, made to reporters aboard his plane, caused a worldwide firestorm of criticism. Report Says Washington, DC Experiencing HIV/AIDS Epidemic By Brian Padden D.C. Health Department report released Monday says Washington, D.C. is experiencing an HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Washington, D.C. Health Department released the study that finds that three percent of all residents of the nation's capital are living with HIV or AIDS. The United Nations classifies an HIV infection rate that exceeds one percent as an epidemic. Earl Fowlkes, Jr. is Executive Director of the District of Columbia Comprehensive AIDS Resource and Education Consortium - a non-profit organization that provides assistance to people with the disease. "Those of us who do the work in the district know that the rates of infection are very high," said Earl Fowlkes. "We see these cases all the time." This year's report shows a 22 percent increase in HIV/AIDS cases since 2006. It says that among reported cases, nearly 70 percent are men and 76 percent are African American. Fowlkes says the high rate of infection in the African American population is more a matter of economics than race. "Poorer people are more likely to become HIV positive than other kinds of people," he said. "And there is a reason for this, [it's] not just information. It's just access to health care and access to lifestyles that promote healthy living and holistic living. If you have a class of people who don't believe they have anything vested in society, they are going to be more vulnerable and take more risk." But the report also says that Washington is making progress in treating, testing and educating people about the disease. The city has also been very active in distributing free condoms and conducting needle exchange programs for drug abusers. Dr. Joseph Baker cares for AIDS patients at the Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington. He says the next step is to focus on programs to reduce the possibility of infection. "The goal of a situation like this would be to diagnose as many people as possible and get them on treatment to prevent the spread of the disease," said Baker. Dr. Baker says that knowing the extent of the HIV/AIDS problem can help focus *public resources and the political will *to fight the disease. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WebTV Dawgs/Dittos" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/WebTV-Pals -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
