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Daily Rounds: AIDS Epidemic Stabilized; Boston Girl, 12, Dies From Meningitis; The Obese Keep On Truckin'; Studying Food Coma

U.N. Says AIDS Epidemic Is Stabilizing : The Two-Way : NPR "In a report released today, the United Nations say the AIDS epidemic has stabilized. The number of people newly infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has remained the same since 2007. The AP reports: "There were 2.7 million new HIV infections last year, approximately the same figure as in the three previous years, said the report from UNAIDS, the joint United Nations program on HIV and AIDS. The figures largely confirm earlier findings released by the group in June. "At the end of last year, there were about 34 million people with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. While that is a slight rise from previous years, experts say that's due to people surviving longer. Last year, there were 1.8 million AIDS-related deaths, down from 1.9 million in 2009." (npr.org)

Boston seventh-grader dies from probable case of meningitis - Boston Medical News - White Coat Notes - Boston.com "A 12-year-old Boston Latin Academy student died today after being hospitalized over the weekend with a probable case of bacterial meningitis, health officials said this evening...Health officials say a “relatively small number” of students and faculty at the school are at risk of infection from the seventh-grade student. Dr. Anita Barry, director of the Infectious Disease Bureau at the health commission, said agency officials estimate that fewer than 50 students and faculty had close enough contact with the 12-year-old girl to be at risk. (boston.com)

A Hard Turn - Big-Rig Drivers Focus on Getting Healthy - NYTimes.com "Mr. Williams’s predicament is hardly unique. On the road for weeks on end, with the sorts of diets that make nutritionists apoplectic, the nation’s truckers are in pretty bad shape. Now, beset by rising insurance costs and desperate to ensure their drivers pass government health tests, trucking companies and industry groups are working hard to persuade road warriors to change their habits. It’s a long haul, so to speak. Eighty-six percent of the estimated 3.2 million truck drivers in the United States are overweight or obese, according to a 2007 study in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association." (nytimes.com)

Thanksgiving Countdown: Your Health After a Big Meal - WSJ.com (Wall Street Journal) "You have seconds on turkey and thirds on stuffing. The top button is unfastened to make room for the pumpkin pie. It is time to step away from the table. This post-meal recovery period is being studied by scientists who are increasingly finding that what happens in the body after eating a big meal doesn't just bring on sleepiness, commonly known as food coma. It can also increase the risk of later health problems."

This program aired on November 22, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

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