Pubdate: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 Source: Washington Post (DC) Page: B04 Copyright: 2007 The Washington Post Company Contact: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491 Author: David Nakamura HIV-AIDS NEEDLE FUNDING URGED Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) is calling on city leaders to allocate public funds to needle exchange programs to help combat the District's high HIV-AIDS rate. Norton said yesterday that a report released Monday that identified 3,269 new HIV cases in the District from 2001 to 2006 focused too heavily on transmission of the disease through sex and not enough on transmission through infected needles for drug use. The administration of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) pledged to combat the disease on several fronts, including tripling the number of free condoms distributed by the government. Norton has been a leader in fighting a congressional ban on a locally funded needle exchange program, which she predicted will be overturned soon. In a statement, she said: "The report does a disservice in creating headlines that the District has the highest AIDS rate without, at the very least, mentioning the possible effect of many years without fully operating and life saving needle exchange programs." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake