he HIV/AIDS infection rate in the city of Washington, DC has increased at an alarming rate, city officials said, giving the U.S. capital the dubious distinction of having the highest AIDS infection rate of any city in the U.S.

The report, which examined those who live in the District of Columbia, found the disease to be infecting people at an epidemic rate, including an increase in the number of infants, older adults, women, and heterosexual men who have contacted the disease

The number of pregnant Thai women infected with AIDS slightly increased with 720 cases reported in about 800,000 pregnancies in 2006, according to the latest Ministry of Public Health survey.

Measures are urgently needed to protect pregnant women because of its implication on Thailand's reproduction rate, said Deputy Public Health Minister Dr. Morakot Kornkasem, adding that 1,440 couples could be infected with the deadly virus annually

The U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS on Tuesday reduced its estimates of the number of people living with the disease globally last year. Although many have been quick to celebrate the news, the agency warns that the reduction is due to a previous overestimation, and that nations and health agencies should not to grow lax in their efforts to fight the potentially deadly disease.

The revised figures, from 39.5 million down to 33 million, reflect a significant adjustment of estimates from India, where improved statistical techniques have yielded new results

A U.S.-based charity hopes to fight the spread of AIDS with a unique product that appeals to coffee mania in the country: java-scented condoms for Ethiopia.

DKT International, a Washington D.C.-based charity says the novelty product addresses the serious issue of AIDS in Ethiopia, which has an AIDS rate of 2.1 percent. The capital Addis Ababa alone has an AIDS infection rate of more than 7 percent

Zimbabwe's Ministry of Health on Thursday announced a drop in HIV infection rates and AIDS-related deaths in the country.

The ministry said the HIV infection rate declined from 18.1 percent last year to 15.6 percent this year in people aged 15 to 49 years. The number of deaths due to AIDS also dropped from 2,500 a week to 2,214 a week