By Jacob Dickey

A state judge shut down New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg’s (D) proposal to ban sugary drinks in containers which hold over 16 ounces of said drinks. This proposal was rejected for many reasons but the three that rise to the forefront are:

1. Too many establishments were exempt from the ban described in this proposal. (supermarkets, gas stations, etc.)
2. Nothing is stopping people from simply buying multiple drinks.
3. Many people believe this ban would punish the poor who may have purchased a large drink to share (perhaps at the movies)

For these reasons this proposal was met with strong resistance from many New Yorkers, who saw it as a restriction of their freedom. This proposal was however very well intentioned. The proposal was intended to cut down on NYC’s skyrocketing obesity rates (65% of men and 40% of women). This proposal’s failure is simply more proof of how government regulation of business is not a solution to the many problems America faces in the 21^st century.

By Elizabeth Fernandez

Many restaurants like coffee shops, barbecue joints, and nightclubs with bottle-service are going to start selling smaller glasses of soda in New York. Many restaurants are unhappy about this new banning of the size of the sugary beverages. On March 12, all restaurants in NYC will be prohibited to sell glasses of soda over 16 ounces. At Brother Jimmy’s BBQ, customers will no longer be able to order 24-ounce glasses of soda. The city officials say it’s a new, practical step to help stop an obesity rate that has risen from 18 to 24 percent in the last decade among adult New Yorkers. Health officials say sugar-filled drinks are much to blame because they contain hundreds of calories. A 32-ounce soda has more than a typical fast-food cheeseburger and it doesn’t make people feel full. However, the new restriction does not apply to alcoholic beverages.

By Elizabeth Fernandez

A 12-year-old boy, named Bailey O’Neill, just died on Sunday, March 3, after being in a medically induced coma. Bailey had gotten in a school fight on January 10 at Darby Township School in Upper Darby, Pa. He allegedly was jumped by two of his classmates; one of them fractured his nose. His father, Rob O’Neill, spoke to ABCNews.com about what had happened to his son: “It was an altercation in the schoolyard where a kid wanted to fight my son and my son wanted to walk away. One boy pushed Bailey into the kid (who wanted to fight him). That kid then hit him in the face, then hit his head on the ground. One pushed him into the kid, then the other kid did the rest of the work.” Bailey had hit his head during the altercation, giving him a concussion. From then on his father noticed something seemed wrong with his 11 year old. He was not feeling good and he was very irritable, that’s when they found out he had a concussion. A week and a half later he began having seizures. He was taking to a hospital where he was placed in the medically induced coma. He turned 12 on March 2 and was taken off of life support Sunday Morning. His father thanked everyone for their support and prayers on the Facebook page Building Hope for Bailey.

By Emily Efthimiades

A toddler that had been diagnosed with HIV at birth has been cured. This offers major medical opportunities when it comes to hopefully finding a cure for AIDS. If doctors can replicate this in other infants they can stop the spread of babies that are HIV infected with the potential of developing AIDS. “If we can replicate this in other infants … this has huge implications for the burden of infection that’s occurring globally,” said Dr. Deborah Persaud, a pediatrician at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Over 1,000 infants infected with HIV are born daily according to the latest estimates from UNAIDS Global Report. This means that over 330,000 children could potentially develop AIDS. The most common way these children develop HIV is from paternal transmission. HIV transmission from an infected mother to a child while she is pregnant is possible when giving birth or when she breast-feeds the child.

The number of infants that have been diagnosed with HIV in the United States has gone down 90% since the mid 90’s. Most of this is because of the vigorous tests pregnant women are put through to test and see if the virus is present. If the mother is diagnosed however, there are many precautions the doctor takes to prevent the child from getting the disease, which usually works.

However in nations where the countries are still developing, and pregnant women do not have the opportunities to get these tests, if the have the disease they will most likely pass it to their child. Mothers are less likely to be treated with antiretroviral drugs that would prevent transmission during pregnancy. In North Africa and the Middle East, for instance, 3% of pregnant women with HIV received antiretroviral medications, according to the U.N. report. Some 23% in West and Central Africa did. Testing is also less sophisticated in these areas.

“We are enthusiastic about the potential of this case, but it is one case and it needs to be replicated and confirmed through future studies and clinical trials,” said Dr. Meg Doherty, the World Health Organization’s Department of HIV/AIDS coordinator of treatment and care. “We will not be changing any of our current guidance in this case, but we will continue to watch for new information and provide updates to our prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) and early infant diagnosis guidance as necessary.”

Medicines that treat HIV are very pricey, but it is cheaper to treat an infant for two years, rather then a whole lifetime of treatment after infection. Doctors are very optimistic and if this can be repeated, this discovery could make a huge difference internationally.