TIJUANA, Mexico, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- A University of California-San Diego study indicates the rate of HIV/AIDS infections is rapidly increasing in Tijuana, Mexico.
Researchers at UCSD's School of Medicine say their findings are part of an effort to create a population-based model in order to estimate HIV infection rates.
The number of men and women in Tijuana aged 15 to 49 years who are infected with HIV may be as high as one in 125 people, close to three times higher than Mexico's national average, according to Assistant Professor Kimberly Brouwer.
The U.N. AIDS Program considers an HIV epidemic to advance from a low level to a concentrated epidemic when more than 1 percent of a population is infected -- a figure Tijuana may soon approach if preventive steps aren't taken, according to researchers.
Brouwer says two possible reasons for the increased HIV rate are needle sharing among injection drug users, since Tijuana is on a major drug-trafficking route, and participation in sex trade.
Brouwer's study will be published in the March 1 issue of The Journal of Urban Health.
