HIV prevalence among Mexican migrant workers in California is rising at a "significant" rate and is on the "threshold of rapid increase" in the population, according to two studies conducted by the University of California's Universitywide AIDS Research Program, the Los Angeles Times reports (Bernstein, Los Angeles Times, 11/2).
Last year, government researchers from Mexico and California announced plans for a joint study to explore the spread of HIV among migrant workers and their families. The study focused on seasonal farm workers, day laborers and urban workers in Fresno and San Diego counties, as well as similar groups and their relatives in the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Michoacan (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 2/7/03).
The first study of 600 migrant workers in Fresno and San Diego counties showed that as many as 1% of workers -- or 20,000 people -- are HIV-positive. That prevalence...