AIDSImpact.com:: - Santa Fe, USA 2011

Abstract #256 - The SIALON Project (2008-2010): HIV prevalence and undiagnosed HIV infections among MSM attending gay venues in six European cities.
Authors: Presenting Author: Mr Lorenzo Gios - Department of Health - Veneto Region - ULSS 20 Verona
Additional Authors: Mr. Massimo Mirandola, Mr. Jean-Pierre Foschia, Mr. Michele Breveglieri, Mrs. Ruth Joana Davis, Mrs. Martina Furegato, Mrs. Enrica Castellani, Mrs. Dunia Ramarli, Mrs. Paola Coato,
Aim: HIV prevalence reported among the hidden population of Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) has risen in recent years in Europe. Valid and reliable data on HIV prevalence and baseline data for estimating trend are not available in several EU countries. In response to this lack of information, the SIALON project was implemented in six cities of Southern-Eastern Europe: Barcelona (Spain); Bratislava (Slovakia); Bucharest (Romania); Ljubljana (Slovenia); Prague (Czech Republic); Verona (Italy). The project is a descriptive multi-centre bio-behavioural cross-sectional survey co-funded by the European Commission under the Public Health Programme 2003-2008.
Method / Issue: A cross-sectional study was conducted among MSM who have had sex with another man during the last year. Time-Location Sampling (TLS) was used to recruit representative samples of men visiting the gay scene in each city. TLS allows to construe a representative sample with known properties. In addition, a self-administered questionnaire (including UNGASS-ECDC indicators) and an oral fluid collector were used to gain data for each participant. EIA testing was performed on oral fluid to detect anti-HIV antibodies.
Results / Comments: A total of 2.407 subjects were enrolled in the six participating cities (circa 400 per country). Valid oral fluid samples were 2.287. HIV prevalence: 17.0% (Barcelona), 11.8% (Verona), 6.0% (Bratislava), 5.1% (Ljubljana), 4.6% (Bucharest) and 2.6% (Prague). In the overall sample, this indicator was significantly lower among young people than among people ≥ 25 years of age (3.5% vs 9.6%). Undiagnosed HIV cases and recent infections: 56% of all HIV positive MSM were not aware of their real serum-status. This figure was almost 80% in Bucharest and Ljubljana, and lower than 50% only in Barcelona (44.6%). Considering HIV positive MSM who were tested over the last year and collected the result, 49.6% reported an HIV negative test. At city level these percentages were higher than 80% in Ljubljana and Bucharest while the lowest figures were in Barcelona and Bratislava (nearly 40%).
Discussion: TLS increases the possibility of involving a variety of participants who probably do not attend health services regularly and of obtaining more valid results. HIV prevalence was higher in Southern European cities than elsewhere. Outreach prevention programmes promoting HIV testing are needed in order to promote HIV testing and detect undiagnosed infections. Data seems to indicate that quite a number of infections was recently acquired over the last 12 months, particularly in Ljubljana and Bucharest. This data underlines the need to further investigate the rising prevalence of HIV and the issue of undiagnosed infection, especially in hidden groups such as MSM.
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