Sexually transmitted infection diagnoses among Hispanic immigrant and migrant men who have sex with men in the United States

Abstract

Background: Hispanic immigrant/migrant men who have sex with men should be at higher risk for sexually transmitted disease/human immunodeficiency virus (STD/HIV) infections given individual-level factors associated with the migration process that have been theorised to increase susceptibility to STD/HIV infections among migrant populations, yet relatively little is known if these individual level factors are actually associated with a sexually transmitted disease infection among this population. Methods: During 2005-2007, 2576 men and women foreign-born Hispanics were surveyed at three community-based organisations offering services to immigrant/migrant communities. We analysed demographic characteristics, sexual risk behaviours, migration patterns, and factors associated with a sexually transmitted disease diagnoses (syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea) in the past 12 months among Hispanic immigrant/migrant men who have sex with men. Results: Of 1482 Hispanic immigrant/migrant men surveyed who reported having sex in the past 12 months, 353 (24%) reported sex with a man, and of these, 302 answered questions regarding whether or not they had been diagnosed with a bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the past year. Of these 302 men, 25% reported being married; 42% self-identified as being heterosexual and 20% as bisexual. Twenty-nine (9.6%) men reported that they received a sexually transmitted disease diagnosis in the past year. In the multivariate logistic regression model, men who reported receiving money or goods for sex had increased odds of a self-reported sexually transmitted disease diagnosis. Conclusions: The prevalence of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases among Hispanic immigrant/migrant men who have sex with men is lower than the prevalence of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases among other men who have sex with men in the United States. Nevertheless, receiving money or goods for sex was significantly associated with a selfreported sexually transmitted disease diagnosis among Hispanic immigrant/migrant men who have sex with men. It is important to understand factors contributing to participation in exchange sex among this population. Human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted disease prevention interventions tailored to non-gay identifying men who have sex with men are important for Hispanic immigrant/migrant men who have sex with men.

Economic Crisis and Sexually Transmitted Infections: A Comparison Between Native and Immigrant Populations in a Specialised Centre in Granada, Spain

“…The most frequently diagnosed STI, in both immigrant and native populations, was HPV infection. This is consistent with a study on STIs conducted in the same region, Andalusia [20], in which HPV infection was the most frequent infection as early as 2009. With respect to other diagnoses, such as hepatitis B and syphilis, also reported in other studies, the results are consistent with another study [21] that reports a higher prevalence of hepatitis B in the immigrant population compared to the native population.…”

Detailed Transmission Network Analysis of a Large Opiate-Driven Outbreak of HIV Infection in the United States

“…Transmission network analysis can provide public health officials with high-resolution information about transmission and drug resistance dynamics at global [20], national [21], and subnational [22,23] levels. These data have been used to identify growing transmission clusters of concern, monitor transmission of antiretroviral drug resistance, prioritize high-risk groups for prevention efforts, and aid epidemiologic investigations [24][25][26][27]. While transmission network analysis is a well-established complement to tuberculosis contact-tracing investigations [16,28,29], it is a relatively new approach for HIV surveillance and outbreak investigation.…”

<i>Syphilis</i> and <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> in Males from Northern Mexico with HIV-AIDS

“…In Mexico, a study showed that the prevalence of STIs in female sex workers was for syphilis 7.8% (range 0% -17.2%), chlamydia 15.3% (range 5.7% -32.2%), gonorrhea 2.9% (range 0% -13.8%) and any HIV / STI 23% (range 9.9% -46%) [7]. The presence of concurrent infections due to any of these bacteria is a risk factor for HIV [8,9]; This is because, by breaking the epithelial barrier of the genital tract, this facilitates the access of the virus to the target cells under the epithelial barrier [8,10]. Alternatively, people infected with HIV are more susceptible to other STIs, since they are immunosuppressed and less able to develop an adequate response to sexually transmitted pathogens [8,11].…”