Summary Labour migration has increased the risk of HIV infection among the wives of labour migrants in Nepal. We conducted a matched case-control study to identify the social and behavioural factors for HIV infection among the wives of labour migrants in Nepal. We interviewed 112 wives of labour migrants diagnosed with HIV (cases) and 112 wives of labour migrants testing negative for HIV (controls) and used logistic regression analysis to assess independent factors associated with HIV infection. Literacy status was the only one woman-related social factor associated with HIV infection. Meanwhile literacy status, age when going abroad for the first time and country of migration were the husband-related social factors and alcohol consumption, living alone abroad and having an unpaid partner abroad were the husband-related behavioural factors associated with HIV infection in the wives. Given the husband-related social and behavioural factors are mostly determining the risk of HIV infection in the wives in our study, prevention efforts must incorporate behaviour change approaches targeting specifically to labour migrants and also to their wives.

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Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a major vector-borne disease caused by Leishmania donovani, after replication of the parasites in macrophages, mononuclear phagocytic system. VL is endemic in 12 districts of central and eastern Terai lowlands of Nepal bordering North Bihar, India with an estimated 8 million population at risk. In addition, VL endemicity is also extending to new endemic regions like Dharan from its classical rural foci. Hence, we aimed to detect the evidence of Leishmania donovani infection in the blood samples received from blood donors of Sunsari district, Dharan, (eastern Nepal), a region endemic for human VL. Sera from 507 asymptomatic blood donors were subjected to serological screening for anti-Leishmania donovani antibodies. Direct agglutination test (DAT) was performed on the sera. Out of 507 donors, majority (78.50 %) were male. Among the donors, 472 (93.10 %) belonged to age group 18-45 years where as 35 (6.90 %) to age group >45 years. Circulating anti-Leishmania antibodies were detected in 5 (1 %) out of 507 healthy, Human Immunodeficiency Virus types 1 and 2 (HIV 1and 2), Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg), anti- Hepatitis C Virus (anti-HCV)-negative, and Syphillis non-reactive donors. All the seropositive cases were male and belonged to the age group 18-45 years. The result suggests that there is an immediate need of screening asymptomatic blood donors for leishmania seropositivity especially in endemic areas.