Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes
Volume 68, Issue 5, 2015, Pages 604-608

Brief report: Mobility and circular migration in Lesotho: Implications for transmission, treatment, and control of a severe HIV epidemic (Article)

Palk L. , Blower S.*
  • a Center for Biomedical Modeling, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, 760 Westwood Plaza, Office 27-423, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
  • b Center for Biomedical Modeling, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, 760 Westwood Plaza, Office 27-423, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States

Abstract

We analyzed georeferenced data on mobility and HIV infection from the 2009 Demographic and Health Survey of Lesotho. We found ∼50% of the population traveled in the preceding year. By constructing gender-specific mobility maps, we discovered that travel is highest in the urban areas bordering South Africa and in the mountainous interior of the country. For both genders, increased mobility was associated with increased levels of "recent" sexual behavior. Notably, mobility was only associated with an increased risk of HIV infection for men who traveled frequently. We discuss the implications of our results for designing effective treatment programs and HIV interventions. © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

Migration mobility HIV Epidemiology Lesotho Africa

Index Keywords

urban area educational status HIV Infections transmission sexual behavior Human immunodeficiency virus infection Human Migration demography human sex difference HIV test Lesotho travel priority journal Humans male female Article high risk behavior disease control epidemic major clinical study adult migration infection risk Sex Factors virus transmission disease severity health survey

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84925095779&doi=10.1097%2fQAI.0000000000000526&partnerID=40&md5=b7203c55ca7f847ca1e1eefe65132cd9

DOI: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000000526
ISSN: 15254135
Cited by: 14
Original Language: English