About the project

Reporter Jonathan Bor and photographer Kim Hairston spent over a year exploring the roots of the HIV epidemic in parts of West Baltimore where the city's rates are highest. After finding that the sale of sex for drugs plays a key role in transmission, the reporter interviewed 19 women who have supported themselves this way.

Bor and Hairston, who have each worked for The Sun for nearly 20 years, got to know three of the women to gain a better understanding of their lives. The articles rely heavily on their personal accounts. All three granted access to their medical records or doctors.

Bor, a medical reporter, also interviewed dozens of physicians, epidemiologists, social workers and drug treatment experts.