ABSTRACT
In industrialized countries where Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is well established, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission has occurred primarily through male homosexual intercourse and blood-to-blood contact among IV drug abusers. Sexually tranmitted diseases (STDs), particularly those associated with genital ulceration, enhance the efficiency of HIV transmission. There appear to be reasons other than lesions or ulceration that account for the heterosexual transmission of HIV in the presence of other STDs. A geographic relationship between migratory labor systems and prevalence rates of both HIV and standard STDs has also been suggested, presumably because migratory labor results in "long absences, increased family breakdown, and increased numbers of sexual partners". The head of the largest global AIDS assistance project in the United States recently speculated that in addition to STD variations and historical factors, the great differences in seroprevalence within Africa is probably due to "multiple sexual partners in some countries".
