Study shows Mexican migrants have high rates of HIV

Laura Wides:

Mexican migrants are infected with HIV at a higher rate than the general population in California and Mexico, according to two studies released Monday.

The findings marked a significant change from past research that found migrants engaged in high risk behavior but were unlikely to contract the disease.

A study of Mexican migrants in California found that 0.6 percent were infected with HIV. That compares to numbers released Monday by the CDC, which put the prevalence rate as of 2003 at around 0.4 percent in the general U.S. population.

A separate study of migrants in their home states in Mexico found the rate of infection was even higher, at 1.1 percent, compared to 0.3 percent among the general Mexican population.

"The data raise concerns that the HIV epidemic may be expanding in Mexico and in California," said George Lemp, director of the University of California's Universitywide AIDS Research Program.

Lemp coordinated the California study, which was presented Monday at the 2005 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta.

"For a number of years, we saw risk behaviors but little HIV," Lemp said. "But as the virus trickles in or spreads into the community, the same risk behaviors can spread the virus around, and the disease can reach a threshold and then take off."

Another reason to take a tough line on illegal immigration.