Rapid urbanization affects public health

Rapid urbanization has significant repercussions on migrants' health. The increasing movement of people from rural to urban areas often alters the characteristic epidemiological disease profile of a country. At the same time, new diseases appear and/or old ones reemerge. Such is the case of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

Urbanization is associated with changes in diet and the physical exertion routine, increasing obesity in society and heightening the risk of type II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

In China, additional mobility-related risks among migrants include poverty, vulnerability to sexual abuse and exploitation, hazardous working conditions and separation from social support networks. Many of these conditions affect the most vulnerable segment of society: women, children and the elderly.