Hispanic Women on US/Mexico Border Face Higher HIV Risk

Hispanic women living along the US/Mexico border have an increased risk for HIV infection by their husbands or boyfriends, according to a University of Arizona professor and researcher who specializes in public health. "What we are seeing is that heterosexual Latinas find out they are infected with HIV after finding out their husbands or boyfriends are infected," said Antonio Estrada, the director of the UA Mexican-American Studies and Research Center. "These men are bisexual and are infecting heterosexual Latinas at high rates, preliminary studies are showing."

Estrada, who is known for his research on border health issues, is one of the presenters at the US-Mexico HIV/AIDS Border Conference in Tucson, which began Monday and ends Wednesday. More than 300 health care experts and researchers will share findings at the conference about the effects of HIV/AIDS along the nearly 2,000-mile international line from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. Doctors, researchers and federal health officials from both countries are convening to study HIV/AIDS and to determine prevention methods and treatment.

Estrada said the higher risk among border region women can be attributed to a lack of knowledge about the disease and lack of medical treatment. Other factors, he said, include infidelity by their partners and lack of communication between partners about their sexual histories. Health officials said more public education programs and more funding for health care are needed on both sides of the border to help address the spread of HIV/AIDS.

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