Occupational Syndemics in Farmworkers in the Cape Winelands, South Africa
Occupational exposures in the agricultural industry globally have been associated with heightened risk for several diseases. Reports written in South Africa in the last decade have raised awareness of the harsh occupational conditions and human rights abuses suffered by farmworker communities in the...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/7/179 |
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| author | Nicola Bulled |
| author_facet | Nicola Bulled |
| author_sort | Nicola Bulled |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Occupational exposures in the agricultural industry globally have been associated with heightened risk for several diseases. Reports written in South Africa in the last decade have raised awareness of the harsh occupational conditions and human rights abuses suffered by farmworker communities in the wine industry. Despite receiving “fair trade” labels upon reentry into the global market in the 1990s, the working conditions on wine farms in South Africa have remained unchanged and exploitative for centuries. Farmworkers remain dependent on substandard farm housing, have insecure land tenure rights, are exposed to toxic pesticides, are denied access to benefits and unionization, and endure long working hours in harsh environmental conditions with low pay. These occupational conditions are linked to interacting disease clusters: metabolic syndrome, problematic drinking, and communicable diseases including tuberculosis, HIV, and COVID-19. This milieu of interacting diseases with deleterious outcomes is an under-considered occupational syndemic that will likely worsen given both the lasting impacts of COVID-19 and more recent shifts in global public health funding. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e2d525b3279a42c0ba0a40a611fc80ff |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2414-6366 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
| spelling | doaj-art-e2d525b3279a42c0ba0a40a611fc80ff2025-08-20T02:47:17ZengMDPI AGTropical Medicine and Infectious Disease2414-63662025-06-0110717910.3390/tropicalmed10070179Occupational Syndemics in Farmworkers in the Cape Winelands, South AfricaNicola Bulled0Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), University of Connecticut, 2006 Hillside Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USAOccupational exposures in the agricultural industry globally have been associated with heightened risk for several diseases. Reports written in South Africa in the last decade have raised awareness of the harsh occupational conditions and human rights abuses suffered by farmworker communities in the wine industry. Despite receiving “fair trade” labels upon reentry into the global market in the 1990s, the working conditions on wine farms in South Africa have remained unchanged and exploitative for centuries. Farmworkers remain dependent on substandard farm housing, have insecure land tenure rights, are exposed to toxic pesticides, are denied access to benefits and unionization, and endure long working hours in harsh environmental conditions with low pay. These occupational conditions are linked to interacting disease clusters: metabolic syndrome, problematic drinking, and communicable diseases including tuberculosis, HIV, and COVID-19. This milieu of interacting diseases with deleterious outcomes is an under-considered occupational syndemic that will likely worsen given both the lasting impacts of COVID-19 and more recent shifts in global public health funding.https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/7/179occupational healthHIVtuberculosissyndemicswine farmsSouth Africa |
| spellingShingle | Nicola Bulled Occupational Syndemics in Farmworkers in the Cape Winelands, South Africa Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease occupational health HIV tuberculosis syndemics wine farms South Africa |
| title | Occupational Syndemics in Farmworkers in the Cape Winelands, South Africa |
| title_full | Occupational Syndemics in Farmworkers in the Cape Winelands, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Occupational Syndemics in Farmworkers in the Cape Winelands, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Occupational Syndemics in Farmworkers in the Cape Winelands, South Africa |
| title_short | Occupational Syndemics in Farmworkers in the Cape Winelands, South Africa |
| title_sort | occupational syndemics in farmworkers in the cape winelands south africa |
| topic | occupational health HIV tuberculosis syndemics wine farms South Africa |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/7/179 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nicolabulled occupationalsyndemicsinfarmworkersinthecapewinelandssouthafrica |