At this week's International AIDS Conference, activists and leaders will debate "what's next" in the battle against HIV/AIDS. They should consider Alicia, a young woman in Alameda County, where AIDS is now the leading cause of death among African American females age 20 to 40.

Alicia's boyfriend doesn't like wearing condoms, so they don't always use them. She doesn't want to get pregnant, but even if she goes on the pill, she'll remain at risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Her health, even her life, will be jeopardy.

Read more of this editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle, July 23, 2012, by Bethany Young Holt, director of the Coalition Advancing Multipurpose Innovations at the Public Health Institute, and Mary A. Pittman, president of the Public Health Institute.

Additional Resources:

• The Coalition Advancing Multipurpose Innovations (CAMI)
• The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals