March 2005

Mexican Migrant Workers Hit Hard

HIV prevalence among Mexico migrant workers is three times as high as the rate in the general U.S. and Mexican populations, two recent studies have found, and infection is “potentially on the threshold of rapid increase in this population.” Although it is common to inject antibiotics in Mexico and syringes are available without a prescription, migrants in the U.S. often share needles because clean needles are not easily accessible. Moreover, most workers do not know how HIV is spread. It is also difficult to find and treat rural migrant workers living with HIV/AIDS because outreach workers must first win their trust. Moreover, the workers, who are largely uninsured, tend to move every few weeks. In larger urban areas health care workers have begun using mobile testing vans to reach workers in construction.