Int J Health Serv
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Mineral mining is among the world's most hazardous occupations. It is especially dangerous in southern Africa, where mining activity is a leading cause of HIV and tuberculosis epidemics. Inside mines, silica dust exposure causes long-term pulmonary damage. ⋯ Miners in high-income countries, working for the same transnational companies, do not experience elevated rates of death and disability. Cost-effective interventions can reduce HIV incidence through social housing, curb trafficking of high-risk groups, stop tuberculosis spread through screening and detection, and reduce drug resistance by standardizing cross-border care. Urgent action is needed to respond to mining's staggering, yet avoidable disease toll in sub-Saharan Africa.