Population Mobility and HIV/AIDS: Examining Available Evidence in Iran

Focusing on migrants, provinces with international borders, seasonal and periodical workers, merchant marine personnel, and drivers, this article examines available Iranian data on the links between mobility, high-risk behavior, and HIV/AIDS. It describes the social and behavioral characteristics and movement patterns of Iran’s mobile population groups through a thorough review of secondary data and documents. It also discusses the levels of access of mobile population groups to HIV prevention and control programs. Findings suggest that the examined groups are exposed to high risks of HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, few HIV/AIDS initiatives have specifically targeted these groups, although general HIV/AIDS programs may be available to many of them depending on their places of residence.