Armed with bracing logic, wit and her "public-health nerd" glasses, Elizabeth Pisani reveals the myriad of inconsistencies in today's political systems that prevent our dollars from effectively fighting the spread of HIV. Her research with at-risk populations -- from junkies in prison to sex workers on the street in Cambodia -- demonstrates the sometimes counter-intuitive measures that could stall the spread of this devastating disease.

Sex, drugs and HIV -- let's get rational

Efforts to prevent HIV often falter because decision-makers ignore why people take risks in the first place. Addicts in Indonesia, for example, know sharing needles spreads HIV, yet most still share to avoid arrest, not out of ignorance. Harm reduction measures, like making clean needles available, have slashed infection rates where implemented, but politics and misplaced morality often block these solutions. Real progress depends on policies that reflect how people actually live and choose.

HIV Policy Fails When Politics Override Human Realities

*The Wisdom of Whores*

AIDS