A cross-sectional survey exploring HIV and HCV prevalence among men who purchase sex in Dnipro, Ukraine

BMC Public Health

Research

Amaanat Gill¹  Michael Pickles²  Lyle R. McKinnon³  François Cholette⁴  Paul Sandstrom⁴  Anna Lopatenko⁵  Leigh M. McClarty⁶  Lisa Lazarus⁶  Nicole Herpai⁶  Marissa L. Becker⁶  Robert Lorway⁶  James Blanchard⁶  Souradet Y. Shaw⁶  Shajy Isac⁷  Sharmistha Mishra⁸  Daria Pavlova⁹  Olga Balakireva^1,10 

[1] Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada;Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK;Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada;Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Durban, South Africa;Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya;Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada;Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections, National Microbiology Laboratory at JC Wilt Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Canada;Dnipropetrovsk Regional Center for Socially Significant Diseases, Dnipro, Ukraine;Institute for Global Public Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, R070 Med Rehab Building, 771 McDermot Ave., R2E 0T6, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada;Institute for Global Public Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, R070 Med Rehab Building, 771 McDermot Ave., R2E 0T6, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada;India Health Action Trust, Delhi, India;MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada;Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada;Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada;Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada;Ukrainian Institute for Social Research after Oleksandr Yaremenko, Kyiv, Ukraine;Ukrainian Institute for Social Research after Oleksandr Yaremenko, Kyiv, Ukraine;Institute for Economics and Forecasting, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine;

关键词: Sex work;    Men who purchase sex;    Clients;    HIV;    HCV;    Ukraine;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-023-16903-1

 received in 2023-01-05, accepted in 2023-10-04,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundHIV programming in Ukraine largely targets “key population” groups. Men who purchase sex are not directly reached. The aim of our study was to explore the prevalence of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) among men who purchase sex from female sex workers.MethodsFollowing geographic mapping and population size estimation at each “hotspot”, we conducted a cross-sectional bio-behavioural survey with men who purchase sex between September 2017 and March 2018 in Dnipro, Ukraine. Eligibility criteria included purchasing sex services at a “hotspot” and being ≥ 18 years. Participants completed a structured questionnaire, followed by HIV/HCV rapid testing and a dried blood spot (DBS) sample collection for confirmatory serology.ResultsThe study enrolled 370 participants. The median age was 32 (interquartile range [IQR] = 27–38) and the median age of first purchase of sexual services was 22 (IQR = 19–27). Over half (56%) of participants reported ever testing for HIV; four participants (2%, N = 206) reported having tested positive for HIV, with three out of the four reporting being on ART. Forty percent of participants had ever tested for HCV, with three (2%, N = 142) having ever tested positive for HCV. In DBS testing, nine participants (2.4%) tested positive for HIV and 24 (6.5%) tested positive for ever having an HCV infection.ConclusionPrevalence of HIV and HCV in this population was high. Given high rates of study enrolment and testing, efforts should be made to reach men who purchase sex with expanded STBBI programming.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023