Cross Border Migration and the Spread of Infectious Diseases (HIV & TB): A Comparative Analysis of Nigeria and Benin Republic, 1999-2017

Abstract

Cross border migration is the movement of people across their national boundaries, it is a phenomenon that cuts across tribes, religions, and status, it is a universal phenomenon, the quest for individuals to meet their basic requirements which will enable them to live a life free from fear and wants, engenders these phenomena. This paper examines the relationship between cross-border migration and the spread of infectious diseases: HIV and Tuberculosis in Nigeria and the Benin Republic. This study utilized a secondary method of data collection. Classical migration theory was the theoretical framework on which the study was anchored. Using descriptive statistics and Pearson Correlation Coefficient, as a method of data analysis, the findings revealed that cross-border migration contributed to HIV transmission among women in Nigeria and the Benin Republic; and Tuberculosis incidence in the Benin Republic. This study concludes that cross-border migration plays an essential role in the spread of HIV in women in Nigeria and Benin Republic respectively; and Tuberculosis in the Benin Republic. Based on the findings the study recommends; that governments of both Nigeria and Benin Republic should establish mechanisms for the screening of migrants and returnees at the point of entry to know their health status and improve health facilities by; providing rapid testing equipment, mobile laboratories, and clinics, formulate policies that will address the rights of migrants, provide health workers with adequate protective machines.