Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine said the so-called "drug tourism" could be fueling a new HIV outbreak in Tijuana, Mexico.

In the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infection on Friday, the researchers noted that the HIV incidence rate among people who use drugs in Tijuana had risen to an unprecedented 11 per 100 100 person-years, which translates to 11 percent per year, Fox 5 News reported.

On the other hand, the HIV incidence rate for people using drugs in San Diego who cross the U.S.-Mexico border to buy drugs was found to be lower. However, it was still high compared to the HIV incidence rate among drug users who do not cross the southern border.

Steffanie Strathdee, associate dean of Global Health Sciences, said the rising rate happened when the U.S.-Mexico border was closed to nonessential travel between March 2020 and November 2021.

Strathdee noted that people in the U.S. travel to Mexico, often for long periods, to buy and use cheaper and more accessible drugs. She said the undiminished "drug tourism" drove it.

Strathdee noted that viruses do not require passports to spread, adding that "walls" do not keep out infectious diseases. She then went on to say that there is a need to boost HIV prevention efforts on both sides of the border.

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HIV Outbreak in Tijuana, Mexico

For years, HIV incidence in Tijuana, Mexico had been stable or declining, partly due to a multi-million dollar effort by the Global Fund for HIV, according to Medical Express. However, that funding reportedly ended in 2013.

Some Mexican government funding to community-based groups that provide HIV services to marginalized populations was also reduced in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 also diverted more funds away from HIV prevention and treatment efforts.

Gudelia Rangel, a co-director of this study and a researcher at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte and U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission, noted that it is vital to understand that public health issues like this are "binational in nature."

Rangel said viruses do not stay in one place, so there is a need to work closely with partners on both sides of the border to find enough resources.

The researchers said the findings highlight the urgency of restoring and expanding efforts on the matter, such as mobile needle exchange programs and greater access to health services and medicines that can significantly reduce the chances of HIV infection for persons at high risk.

Drug Tourism in Mexico

Drug tourism in Mexico has also brought drug cartels to tourist spots in the country, with dealers arriving at the beachside resort outside Cancun last month.

Violence had started in the tourist spots, with shootings between rival drug cartels emerging. According to Washington Post, one security footage shows attackers running from the beach toward the $400-a-night hotel while tourists in bathing suits were trying to take cover in hallways.

Lucio Hernández Gutiérrez, the security chief for Mexico's Quintana Roo state, said the main reason the cartels are swarming tourist spots is because of the large demand for drugs, especially among travelers. The security chief added that it was a "very difficult thing to stop."

In October, a German and Indian tourist was killed by gunmen in Tulum. The following month, a shooting occurred at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun, leaving two cartel members dead.

READ MORE: Armed Men Stormed Cancun Resort As Tourists and Staff Take Shelter; Shooters Suspected Drug Dealers in Mexico 

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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