We asked prominent experts in the fields of prevention, awareness and research to weigh in on the one action then think can put a halt to this devastating epidemic. Here are critical solutions

BY MELISSA EWEY JOHNSON

“We need a public awareness campaign for HIV similar to the antismoking campaigns in New York City. Those in-your-face commercials and billboards [with a man who now has to breathe through a hole in his throat or a woman missing fingers] really showed the devastating health effects of smoking. They dramatically lowered smoking rates, and I think that kind of campaign could persuade more people to get HIV tests and practice safer sex.”

1. -C. VIRGINIA FIELDS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NATIONAL BLACK LEADERSHIP COMMISSION ON AIDS
   

“I want to pass a bill that will call for mandatory HIV tests whenever anyone’s blood is tested--at your annual physical, in hospital emergency rooms. I also want all children to be tested for HIV at birth. Four years ago I passed a bill in Texas requiring every inmate to be tested for HIV when they leave jail, and two years later we were able to require that all prisoners be tested before they enter the penal system. This way, prisoners can ask for treatment while they’re incarcerated, and we can start to decrease the infection rate. Similar bills should be passed in every state.”

1. -STATE SENATOR RODNEY E. ELLIS (D-TEXAS)
   

“Talking with our kids about the virus will go a long way in reducing the spread. We have to provide balanced sexual education that says, ‘Abstain from sex. But if you do decide to become sexually active, this is what you need to do to protect yourself.’ It’s not just an issue of morality--it’s a mater of public health.”

1. -DAVID MALEBRANCHE, M.D., ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
   

“It’s going to require a mass Black mobilization similar to what was done during the Civil Rights Movement. That begins by demanding that our fraternities and sororities, churches, elected officials, and civil rights organizations all have a place for HIV awareness and funding on their plates. Fighting this disease should be a personal mission for every one of us. If we could make the commitment to protect ourselves and not transmit the virus, the crisis would be over.”

1. -PHIL WILSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BLACK AIDS INSTITUTE
   

“Black women are placing themselves at risk because they want to feel love. Until we look at the issues of fear, isolation, disrespect and disempowerment Black women are facing in our communities, we’ll be having this same conversation ten years from now. We need more social programs that build self-esteem and empower women to demand that their sexual partners be tested. When women feel that they control their own destiny, they’re less likely to place themselves in situations that lead to unsafe sex and drug use.”

- CARRIE BROADUS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WOMEN ALIVE