Marsha Martin,
the newly appointed director of the District of
Columbia's HIV/AIDS Administration, is calling
for the availability of condoms in schools and the
establishment of needle-exchange programs in Washington
to combat the spread of HIV, the Washington
Examiner reports. "We want condoms
everywhere," she said at a panel discussion on
Monday. "We have already had conversations with the
public schools. I want them everywhere."
Washington has
the highest HIV incidence level of any major U.S. city. A
report released earlier this year found that the
district's efforts over the past 20 years to
control the spread of HIV and treat those infected
with the virus have been woefully inadequate. Martin was
named AIDS director in August after former director
Lydia Watts was fired amid questions about the
agency's handling of federal AIDS funds and in the
wake of the report criticizing the city's AIDS
response.
In addition to
condom distribution programs in schools, Martin also says
the district needs needle-exchange programs to help prevent
the spread of HIV among injection-drug users who share
needles and other drug paraphernalia. (Advocate.com)