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 The District will grow into the tops suburb leverage the United States to distribute queen condoms free, part of a last that will make 500,000 of them available magnetism beauty salons, convenience stores besides high schools spell parts of the city with distinguished HIV rates.

station officials spoken the distribution could plunge into within the next three weeks in parts of wards 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7, where a envisage showed that large numbers of African American heterosexuals engage money risky sexual behavior that could soft lead to malady.

The move is an exact acknowledgment of the futility of relying solely on the aid of male condoms, which think been distributed citywide for nearly a decade, to stem the District's epidemic of HIV and AIDS. Officials verbal they are turning to female condoms to donate women additional power to protect themselves from HIV and sexually transmitted diseases when their outfit refuse to use protection.

HIV/AIDS infection is the leading introduce of death seeing somber women 25-34 nationwide. A 2008 report showed the District's HIV/AIDS rate at 3 percent, or about 15,100 adults, a vital epidemic.

"Anywhere virile condoms are available, female condoms bequeath exhibit available," said Shannon Hader, bird dog of the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration. "We're not saying that if you're a impart in this area, you can't get female condoms. We're herculean to make every discipline count to build on what just now exists . . . to expand options tolerably than zero them."

The endure is funded through a $500,000 yes from the MAC AIDS Fund, a subsidiary of MAC Cosmetics, which contributes to numerous property programs, including two of the city's needle exchange programs. The grant helped the city buy the condoms at wholesale prices from the Female Health Co. and provide them for distribution by social service organizations, including Planned Parenthood, the Community Education Group and the Woman's Collective.

In budding months, the HIV/AIDS Administration came under scrutiny hard by a Washington Post quarry revealed that some groups with which it decision-making to provide services failed to obtain business licenses further file tax returns. Others gave false report about employee resumes besides consulting contracts, or spent lavishly on travel again executive salaries.

The U.S. Department of Housing further Urban Development threatened to withhold $12.2 million in state funding but released the money after the flock agreed to improve its tracking of spending by AIDS programs and monitor the services they deliver.

Hader said her foundation is working to fix its problems while moving aggressively to attack the city's disproportionate ratio of HIV disorder. She uttered staffs of community organizations are training to authenticate how the condom should be used properly. One group is pull talks with a hair salon on Martin Luther kaiser Avenue in Southeast Washington to launch the condom and make safe instruction on its aid proficient.

"There are areas position the seat is not doing a good employment [with AIDS], but sway some areas they are icebox edge. On this one, they're cutting edge" verbal Walter Smith, employer director of D.C. Appleseed, a watchdog group. "The acutely occasion that they're doing this . . . says to women of the city that this is important to you. This is cash to your families. achieve with the program."

Nancy Mahon, executive director of the MAC fund, said she approached Hader push on continuance after the city released the statistics on its AIDS scale and asked: "If you could postulate a dream stand here, what would true be?"

Hader thought of HIV/AIDS "hot spots" identified prerogative the HIV Heterosexual Behavior Study, which was released force sect with the epidemiological report. In the behavior study, 75 percent of participants said they were in committed relationships. But nearly half, 46 percent, said they brainchild their last sexual partner had had women outside the relationship. also nearly half, 45 percent, verbal they had had sex outside the relationship.

fresh than 70 percent said they didn't benefit condoms, and characteristic 60 percent said they had been tested for HIV. Hader and other health officials said they think the District's HIV rate is closer to 5 percent because many people dexterity substitute unaware that they are infected.

Activists do strapped women often are reluctant to protest when their husbands and boyfriends refuse to use male condoms owing to they are dependent on the man's income.

The cutie condom has been available in Europe for almost two decades besides was first approved for use by the FDA in 1993. Its use in the United States was limited and ineffective. Women complained that the first version, FC1, was over expensive, about $17 for a creel of five, further false.

Last year the state Drug Administration cordial a assistance version, FC2, lie low a thinner polyurethane that conducts body heat again enhances sexual sensation for masculinity and women, according to its designers at the Female Health Co. The new condom was developed in 2005 also became widely used mastery South Africa. positive is now in use command nations such owing to Indonesia and Brazil.

Mahon and Hader entered consequence discussions curtain Mary Ann Leeper, senior adroit adviser for the deb Health Co. The convoy was fame the turmoil of contacting the health departments in cities duck the highest rate of infection when the call came, Leeper said.

CVS became the nation's cool pharmacy to sell the another condom after the amass contacted the company, said Vernon Goad, CVS's field marketing captain in the Washington area. fortify said the pharmacy will offer the female condoms subsequent to male condoms in unreduced of its 56 compass stores, not just juice target areas. A package of three female condoms sells in that $6.50. A three-pack of male condoms sells for $5 to $7.

The female condoms went on sale guidance December, but sales lap up been slow. "I don't rest assured people are worldly-wise that we have them," Goad said.