Cuts To Calif. Breast Cancer Screening Program Remain; N.J. Legislature Approves Family Planning Funding

Health officials said that cuts to California’s breast cancer screening program for low-income women will continue indefinitely, while the New Jersey Legislature sent a family planning funding bill to the governor’s desk. Summaries appear below…

Backpackers blamed for increasing STI rates in Australia.

It has been suggested that British backpackers could be at the centre of a national debate, which states that they are one of the main reasons why STI’s are on the increase in Australia.

Over the last eight years there has been a study conducted, and the results found that British and Irish backpackers where taking risks that they would not do at home, mostly due to alcohol infused relations with local men and women.

As many as 50% of all backpackers admitted to having sex with an Australian citizen whilst abroad with a further 10% more of these having sexual relations with somebody else in Thailand, which is the flight stop between Britain and Australia.

This study has been left open for debate though, as younger citizens of Australia are not using a condom then backpackers. 22% of backpackers are using a condom on a regular basis while just 19% of the Australian citizens confess to using a condom regularly. 

The Australian government wants to now target British and Irish backpackers with advertisements for safe sex, however, is it just me that thinks maybe the government needs to look slightly closer to home before they start blaming backpackers for a rise in STI’s.

A similar study which has been published recently also suggests that just as little as 1 in 5 females use a condom for anal sex and this has sparked a health scare among professionals, who suggest that you should use a condom for any form of penetrable sex.

On the other hand, 3 in 5 homosexual men who engage in anal sex use a condom, which is much improved but health officials say still not enough. One health official said that the risks of anal sex are known between homosexual men, however, not enough women know about the dangers of unprotected anal sex, which are just as dangerous as vaginal caused STI’s.

It has been said that couples who engage in vaginal and anal sex, use a condom for vaginal sex but will not use one for anal sex, and this is being dubbed illogical by many health officials.

Few Women Get Enough Exercise During Pregnancy

Fewer than 1 in 4 pregnant women meet physical activity guidelines set by doctors and health officials, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study. Guidelines set by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2002 recommend pregnant women get 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily, or on most days, if they have no medical or obstetric complications…

Meeting Addresses MTCT Of HIV In Africa

Health officials recently held a regional consultation in Kenya to examine mother-to-child HIV transmission services and pediatric HIV/AIDS care in nine Eastern and Southern African countries, IRIN/PlusNews reports. The consultation — hosted by UNICEF,