HIV/AIDS Prevention Efforts on California-Mexico Border Examined

In the fourth of a five-part series titled, "Crossing the Border: California and Mexico's Shared Health Challenges," KQED's "The California Report" on Monday reported on outreach efforts to prevent HIV transmission by bridging the medical and cultural divides between Tijuana and San Diego. According to KQED, HIV/AIDS education campaigns targeted at binational residents are working to address issues such as:

• Higher-cost HIV tests in Mexico, compared with free tests and incentives to return for test results in California;
  
  
• Stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS in Mexico; and
  
  
• Taboos in Latino culture around discussing sex, especially men having sex with men or with sex workers.

• Jorge Bedoya, board member of AFABI, an HIV/AIDS education center in Tijuana;
  
  
• Terry Cunningham, director of the Office of AIDS Coordination for the San Diego County Health Department;
  
  
• Rosana Scolari, director of HIV services at the San Ysidro Health Center in California, which is located two miles from the border; and
  
  
• HIV-positive clients at the border health centers (Shafer, "The California Report," KQED, 11/14).

The fifth segment in the series, which is scheduled to air next Monday, will examine the impact of HIV infections on the families and communities of seasonal farm workers in the state of Jalisco who divide their time between California and Mexico. The segment also will profile local and national HIV/AIDS education efforts (Shafer, "The California Report," KQED, 11/21).

The complete segment will be available online in RealPlayer after the broadcast. Expanded coverage of the KQED series is available online.