Monitoring HIV/AIDS in Europe's migrant communities and ethnic minorities

• Published in: AIDS (London) Vol. 18; no. 14; pp. 1867 - 1873
• Main Authors: DEL AMO, Julia, BRÖRING, Georg, HAMERS, Francoise F, INFUSO, Andrea, FENTON, Kevin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 24.09.2004
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - epidemiology; AIDS/HIV; Biological and medical sciences; Ethnic Groups; Europe - epidemiology; HIV Infections - epidemiology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Prevalence; Transients and Migrants; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Europe; Immunopathology; Retroviridae; AIDS; Epidemiology; Immune deficiency; Lentivirus; ethnic minorities; Ethnic group; Infection; Virus; Surveillance; HIV; Viral disease; migrants; Human immunodeficiency virus
• ISSN: 0269-9370; 1473-5571
• DOI: 10.1097/00002030-200409240-00002

HIV/AIDS continues to be a major public health challenge in twenty-first century Europe. Increasing population movement whether for travel, political or economic purposes, combined with demographic, social and economic transitions create conditions that contribute to the increase of HIV transmission worldwide. Inequity, social exclusion, along with cultural, socio-economic and language barriers to HIV/AIDS prevention and care, make some of Europe's migrant and ethnic minority populations especially vulnerable to the negative impact of HIV/AIDS. Understanding the determinants of HIV/AIDS in Europe's migrant populations and ethnic minorities is crucial for developing appropriate preventive and healthcare services, and informing public health policy. Although it is acknowledged that health inequalities, including those by race and/or ethnicity, should be monitored, the manner to do it is more controversial. On one hand, the publication of HIV/AIDS data by race/ethnicity will give greater visibility to these problems, but on the other, there is a real danger of inadvertent promotion of xenophobia and further stigmatization of migrants and ethnic minorities. In this paper we examine the variables used to monitor HIV/AIDS in migrants and ethnic minorities in surveillance systems in Western Europe, discuss their advantages and limitations, highlight some of the data, and draw recommendations to identify ways in which HIV/AIDS surveillance for vulnerable groups may be strengthened.