This article describes the results of a study to evaluate how international migration from the south-central Andes of Ecuador to the US, principally to New York City, is affecting the health of migrants, their families, and the general population. There are two principal areas of health impact that have been identified: the psychological and social stress of the migration experience, which is largely confined to migrant household members; and the infection of migrants by the HIV virus and its transmission to their home communities upon return, which has far-reaching consequences for the general population of the south-central Andean region. Given the long-term significance and insidious characteristics of the HIV virus, this report focuses exclusively on the epidemiology of AIDS in the region and the social and cultural context in which it is being transmitted. It evaluates the human and economic resources available to confront a possible HIV epidemic. -from Authors

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Ecuador medical geography AIDS Andes American immigration health effect socio-cultural aspect return migrants