LGBT Rights in Mexico - HIV and AIDS

HIV and AIDS

The first AIDS case in Mexico was diagnosed in 1983. Based on retrospective analyses and other public-health investigative techniques, HIV in Mexico may be traced back to 1981. LGBT groups were instrumental in initiating programs to combat AIDS—a shift in focus which curtailed (at least temporarily) an emphasis on gay organizing.

The National Center for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS (CENSIDA) is a program promoting prevention and control of the AIDS pandemic with public policies, promotion of sexual health and other evidence-based strategies. It aims to diminish the transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (VIH) and sexually transmitted diseases (STD), and to improve the quality of life of affected people (within a framework of the common good). CENSIDA has been active since 1988; it collaborates with other government agencies and non-governmental organizations (including those for persons living with HIV/AIDS).

With 0.3 percent of the adult population estimated to be HIV-positive, Mexico has one of the lowest HIV rates in Latin America and the Caribbean. Although overall HIV prevalence is low, UNAIDS estimates that because of Mexico's large population, approximately 200,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS in 2007 (the second-largest affected population in the region after Brazil, which had 730,000 people living with HIV/AIDS). According to CENSIDA, as of 2009 over 220,000 adults are HIV-positive; 60 percent are men who have sex with men (MSM), 23 percent are heterosexual women and 6 percent are commercial sex workers' clients (mainly heterosexuals). Over 90 percent of the reported cases were the result of sexual transmission.

The spread of HIV/AIDS in Mexico is exacerbated by stigma and discrimination, which act as a barrier to prevention, testing and treatment. Stigmatization occurs within families, in health services, with the police and in the workplace. A study conducted by Infante-Xibille in 2004 of 373 health care providers in three Mexican states described discrimination within the health services. HIV testing was conducted only with perceived high-risk groups (often without informed consent), and AIDS patients were often isolated. A 2005 five-city participatory community assessment by Colectivo Sol (a non-governmental organization), found that some HIV hospital patients had a sign over their beds stating they were HIV-positive. Discrimination also existed in the workplace. In León, Guanajuato, researchers found that 7 out of 10 people in the study had lost their jobs because of their HIV status. The same study also documented evidence of discrimination which MSM experienced within their families.

In August 2008, Mexico hosted the 17th International AIDS Conference, a meeting which contributed to overcoming stigmas and highlighting the achievements in the struggle against the illness. In late 2009, Health Secretary José Ángel Córdova said in a statement that Mexico had met the United Nations Millennium Development Goal concerning HIV/AIDS (which demands that countries begin to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS before 2015). The infection rate for HIV was 0.4 percent, below the 0.6 percent target set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for Mexico. About 70 percent of people requesting treatment for HIV/AIDS arrive without symptoms of the disease, which increases life expectancy by at least 25 years. Treatment for HIV/AIDS in Mexico is free, and is offered at 57 specialized clinics to 30,000 (of 60,000) people living with HIV. The Mexican government spends about $2 billion MXN ($155 million USD) each year on fighting the disease.