Prevention Matters

President Obama's announcement of steps to improve food safety was named Best Prevention Idea of the Week, while Pope Benedict XVI's admonition to Africans that condoms won't help - and could make worse - the continent's problem with AIDS was named Worst Prevention Idea of the Week.

The Best/Worst honors are a regular feature of Prevention Matters (http://www.preventionmatters.blogspot.com/), the blog of Partnership for Prevention. Each week, Partnership for Prevention's staff will choose the designees based on nominations of items in the previous week’s news submitted by members, staff and the public at large. To submit a nomination or for more information, contact Damon Thompson at dthompson@prevent.org .


BEST IDEA

In his weekly address to the nation, President Obama said he is forming a Food Safety Working Group to "upgrade our food safety laws for the 21st century," He said he also will ask Congress for $1 billion in new funds to add inspectors and modernize laboratories, and announced that the Agriculture Department is moving ahead with a rule change banning all sick or disabled cattle from entering the food supply.


WORST IDEA

Pope Benedict XVI said condoms are not the answer to the AIDS epidemic in Africa and can make the problem worse, setting off criticism Tuesday as he began a weeklong trip to the continent where some 22 million people are living with HIV. It was Benedict's first statement on an issue that has divided even Catholic clergy working with AIDS patients.