An Association Between Heavy Rainfall and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa

Underdeveloped regions such as sub-Saharan Africa are disproportionately affected by both climate change and HIV. Now, researchers have used survey data collected over 12 years in 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa to explore the associations between HIV infections and heavy rainfall. Experiencing heavy rainfall was associated with higher odds of having HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and more sexual partners in a study involving 288 333 survey respondents--about 60% of them women--published in JAMA Network Open. The association of heavy rainfall with prevalent HIV was more likely in rural areas. This could suggest that worsening food insecurity can lead to transactional sex to pay for food, resulting in HIV infection, the researchers explained. People in rural areas are more likely to grow their own food and heavy rainfall can deplete crop yields. Heavy rainfall also could reduce access to public health infrastructure needed for sexually transmitted infection education, HIV testing, and treatment, according to the study authors.