Helen Mathews Smith

About the author: Helen Mathews Smith is the former editor of MD magazine. She is now writing a book on the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Education, needle-exchange programs, and "safe-sex" campaigns have all failed to control the spread of AIDS. The Public Health System's response to the AIDS epidemic has been missing a key component of basic plague control strategy: mandatory testing and tracking. By requiring everyone to test regularly for HIV infection and notifying all sexual partners of those individuals who test positive for HIV, the AIDS epidemic could be controlled and even eliminated. Many, including the American Civil Liberties Union and gay rights groups, argue that required testing and partner notification would violate individuals' right to privacy. Unfortunately, public health officials have conceded to...