A new report funded by the Center for Disease Control says the rate of HIV/AIDS infection in Washington D.C. has hit three percent. The rate is higher than in many West African countries and comes as a surprise to many who thought the disease was waning. For more on what those numbers mean, we turn to Jose Antonio Vargas, a reporter for The Washington Post who is covering this issue closely for the paper. We also chat with Dr. Helene Gayle, the president and CEO of CARE.

Most of us have heard of the hygiene hypothesis. It's the theory that all of our antibacterial soaps and scrubs and sprays are actually weakening our immune systems. But here’s something new: Scientists say you may be able to treat certain diseases like autism and multiple sclerosis by ingesting the same worms we’ve spent all those years trying to kill. The Takeaway talks to Dr. Joel Weinstock, chief of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts University Medical Center.

The Takeaway gets a first-hand update on the worsening situation in Zimbabwe from U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee. He shares his thoughts on president Robert Mugabe, the cholera epidemic and the possibility of a power-sharing deal between Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and Morgan Tsvangirai's opposition MDC.

A raging outbreak of cholera has struck thousands in the troubled African nation.

A cholera epidemic and growing food shortages add to the problems in Zimbabwe.

NFL players may seem invulnerable, but recently a spate of staph infections has hit teams around the country. The potentially dangerous infection spreads from close contact and skin abrasions. CDC epidemiologist Jeff Hageman explain best ways for non-athletes to avoid infection.

The largest children's study ever undertaken in the United States kicks off in 2009. Researchers plan on tracking 100,000 kids from the womb to the age when they can legally crack open a beer. Scientists hope 21 years worth of hair, urine and environmental samples will reveal why the incidence of childhood disease is on the rise.

Today, 120 million children across Asia are taking a couple of minutes of their time to wash their hands. It's the highlight of a campaign organised by the United Nations children agency UNICEF to promote one of the most cost-effective forms of preventive healthcare.

The famous AIDS cocktail, a blend of life-prolonging drugs with wicked side effects, could be a thing of the past. At this year’s International AIDS Conference, scientists announced that they are testing a vaccine designed to give HIV patients an extended break from their regular medication.

Last week the Black AIDS Institute, an advocacy group, reported that if Black America were its own nation it would rank 16th in the world in the number of people living with AIDS. Among its findings the report also states that nearly 600,000 blacks are living with HIV and up to 30,000 are becoming infected each year. The report provides a new perspective on the AIDS epidemic and negligence in its treatment.

A new CDC study finds that the annual HIV infection rate is higher than previously estimated. The country had roughly 56,300 new HIV infections in 2006 — about a 40 percent increase from the 40,000 annual estimate used for the past dozen years. What do these new numbers mean for how the community handles AIDS prevention?

A 21-patient study has shown that the drug abiraterone can stop the testosterone that feeds prostate cancer. A larger international clinical trial is underway to test the drug before it can be deemed a "miracle drug." Also, Dimebon, once used as an antihistamine, has been found to improve cognitive abilities for Alzheimer’s patients, though researchers aren't yet sure how.

There is a new enemy on the battlefields of Iraq and it's too small to be seen. It's Acinetobacter baumannii, a drug-resistant killer microbe.

Guest: Dr. Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University

Guest: Dr. Peter Jung, pediatrician, Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas

Nearly two months have passed since an outbreak of salmonella in tomatoes, leaving consumers uneasy and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration scrambling to find the source of the contamination. FDA field investigators are the agricultural detectives on the case.

A new study says cancer patients nearing the end of life want the truth. But it's not all that simple. Everyday, and with every patient, Dr. John Marshall has to reexamine what it means to tell this truth.