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The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access published online on May 27, 2005
The European Journal of Public Health, doi:10.1093/eurpub/cki064
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.
Received March 3, 2004
Accepted October 18, 2004

Article

Migration and HIV epidemic in Greece

Georgios Nikolopoulos 1*, Michail Arvanitis 1, Aikaterini Masgala 1, and Dimitra Paraskeva 1

1 HIV Infection Office, Hellenic Centre for Infectious Diseases Control, Athens, Greece

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Georgios Nikolopoulos, E-mail: g.nikolopoulos{at}keel.org.gr


  Abstract

Background: Over the last decade, Greece has experienced a massive influx of migrants from countries in South Eastern/Central Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. This study aimed to estimate the percentage and the specific characteristics of HIV-positive migrants reported in Greece, and to describe the secular trend of migrants' proportion among HIV-infected individuals. Methods: Secondary analysis of data reported to the Hellenic Centre for Infectious Diseases Control (HCIDC) during the years 1989-2003. Results: From 1989 to 2003, 6292 HIV-positive cases were reported to HCIDC. Data show that 749 people (439 males, 303 females) originated from countries other than Greece. Most HIV-positive migrants come from Sub-Saharan Africa (32.44%) and nearly 20% from Central and Eastern Europe. In the Greek population, men who have sex with men (MSM) constitute 50.47% of cases, while 16.15% are heterosexuals. The epidemic profile follows a different pattern among migrants (P<0.05). Heterosexual transmission accounts for 41.52% of HIV-positive reported migrants, while 19.09% are MSM. An 11% increase for each subsequent year in the rate of HIV-positive migrants reported in Greece has been estimated using a Poisson regression model fitted to the data (IR 1.11; 95% confidence interval 1.08-1.13). Conclusions: The results suggest an increasing trend of HIV-seropositive migrants in Greece during recent years. Group-based interventions, better access to health care and a comprehensive public approach should be applied to migrants.

Keywords: HIV infection; migrants; migration.
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