Better HIV treatment needed for South Africa work visa holders
March 04 2010 by Liam Clifford
Foreigners working in South Africa, on South African work rnvisas, need more HIV prevention and treatment services, according to the rnInternational Office of Migration (IOM).
The IOM carried out research in rneight countries over a period of five months in 2009 and found that foreigners rnworking in South Africa in manual transport, agricultural, mining and rnconstruction positions were more vulnerable to HIV.
The research was rncommissioned by the US Agency for International Development and was funded by rnthe South Africa Prevention Initiative. Factors including the communities the rnmigrants interact with and the mobile nature of their existence were cited as rnreasons for their increased vulnerability.
The study said that problems rnsuch as language barriers and a xenophobic attitude to public services were to rnblame for the lack of care being offered to the migrant workers.
Those rnworking without the proper South African visas were most at risk, explained the rnresearchers. They said that this group were more likely to be involved with rnalcohol and transactional sex, which can lead to a greater chance of contracting rnHIV. This group also actively avoids accessing public services as they are rnliving in fear of South African immigration authorities.
See the latest Immigration News
