Overview of HIV/AIDS in the Mexican Border States

Date of Report: 03/2008

HIV/AIDS Statistics

County Population People Living with HIV/AIDS New HIV Cases Cumulative HIV Cases New AIDS Cases Cumulative AIDS Cases Mexico 106,500,000 182,000 3,798 37,797 5,055 115,651 Baja California 2,844,469 255 1,963 207 5,067 Chihuahua 3,241,444 135 1,508 147 2,996 Coahuila 2,495,200 75 478 51 1,469 Nuevo Leon 4,199,292 108 1,510 112 3,067 Tamaulipas 3,024,238 133 1,265 133 2,526 Sonora 2,394,861 72 743 73 1,673 Panorama Epidemiologico del VIH/SIDA e ITS en Mexico December 31, 2006. Consejo Nacional para la Prevención y Control del VIH/SIDA. [PDF] Casos de SIDA, PVVIH y Defunciones SS/DGE. Registro Nacional de Casos de SIDA. 11/15/2007. [PDF]

Epidemiology

Mexico reported 182,000 people living with HIV and 115,651 AIDS cases in 2007. (1) Adult men account for 80% of the infected population (93,314) and adult women 16% (18,527). Ninety-three percent of new cases in children in 2007 were transmitted perinatally.(2)

Sexual contact is the predominant mode of HIV/AIDS transmission for adults. Heterosexual contact accounts for the highest percentage of cumulative AIDS cases in Mexico among men (39.3%) and women (98.4%). Heterosexual contact is a growing factor among men, and accounted for 46.5% of new cases in 2007. Homosexual and bisexual contact account for 33.1% and 23.8% of cumulative cases in men.

Border States Overviews

	Baja California Norte (Northern Baja) is located in the northwestern corner of Mexico. Baja California is bounded on the north by California and Arizona; at the northeast tip by the State of Sonora, which is the only land area that joins the Baja California peninsula to rest of the country; and on the south by the State of Baja California South. In 2005, Baja California Norte had an estimated population of approximately 2,844,469, with over 75% living in the border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali, the state capital. The epidemic in this region, particularly in Tijuana, is more similar to the epidemic in the United States, with injection drug use playing a significant role. There are three CAPASITS, or multiservice HIV and STD treatment and prevention centers in the border region of the state, located in Tijuana, Mexicali, and Ensenada.
	Chihuahua, a largely rural region, borders New Mexico and houses two sisters cities: Juarez/El Paso and Ojinaga/Presidio. Ciudad Juarez is the largest population center in the border region of Chihuahua, and is home to a CAPASITS.
	Coahuila, another rural state, is south of Chihuahua and is over the border from Del Rio, Texas. The two sister cities for this state are Acuña/Del Rio and Piedras Negras/Eagle Pass. While the state does have several agencies providing HIV/AIDS services -- in Torreón and Saltillo -- none of the agencies are located in the border area.
	Nuevo León is across the border just north of Laredo, Texas. There are few service agencies in the direct border region, but there are several in Monterrey, including a CAPASITS.
	Sonora is located in the northwest region of the Mexican Republic, and has a population of approximately 2,394,861. The State of Sonora is borders Arizona in the U.S., and Nogales is the largest border town. There are currently no CAPASITS in Sonora.
	Tamaulipas is directly across the border from Southeast Texas and borders the Gulf of Mexico. Tamaulipas hosts two sister cities: Nuevo Laredo/Laredo and Brownsville/McAllen. Heterosexual contact drives the HIV/AIDS epidemic in this area. There are three CAPASITS in the border area (Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, Matamoros), and one in Cd. Victoria, the state capital.

HIV Treatment in Mexico

Each Mexican state has an HIV/AIDS director responsible for coordinating treatment and prevention programs (See Resources section). Most patients are treated either in general hospitals or in CAPASITS (HIV/STD specialty clinics, "Centro Ambulatorio de Prevención y Atención en SIDA e ITS"). The CAPASITS network was introduced in Mexico in 2005 and is still expanding. As of 2008, it comprised nearly 60 centers around the country. (See Resources section.)

Antiretrovirals Available in Mexico

Most HIV medications available in the United States are now available to Mexican citizens in Mexico through a range of public and private insurance programs. Access to HIV medications in Mexico has expanded greatly in recent years.

	U.S.-Mexico Antiretroviral Drug Chart

(1) Casos de SIDA, PVVIH y Defunciones, SS/DGE. Registro Nacional de Casos de SIDA . 11/15/2007.

(2) Casos nuevos y acumulados de SIDA pediátricos, por categoría de transmisión y sexo, SS/DGE. Registro Nacional de Casos de SIDA . 11/15/2007.