Migration and HIV/AIDS in South Africa

Abstract

Although migration and HIV/AIDS have been examined separately in South Africa, researchers are still far from understanding in detail just how and to what extent the two are interconnected. The connections are difficult to unravel because HIV/AIDS arrived in the country at a time when population mobility and systems of labour migration were undergoing rapid transformation. Without a proper understanding of the complexity of the country's new migration regime, it will not be possible to understand either the role of mobility in the spread of the pandemic or the vulnerability to infection of mobile populations. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge on the interconnections between mobility and HIV and argues for more research that will further understanding of migrant vulnerability and the development of appropriate policies and models of intervention and care.

Acknowledgments

This paper was prepared under the auspices of the Southern African Migration Project with support from CIDA and DFID. Mark Lurie also wishes to thank the Wellcome Trust (UK), and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (Grant numbers 1K01 MH069113–01A1, and 5T32 DA13911).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jonathan Crush

Jonathan Crush, Southern Africa Research Centre, 152 Albert Street, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7 3N6, Canada.