EACS 2025: Are Europe’s migrants acquiring HIV after arrival?

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October 28, 2025
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PARIS, October 27, 2025 — More than 60% of HIV diagnoses among migrants in Switzerland occur after arrival, with some groups waiting up to 6 years before detection; findings that expose significant gaps in the country’s prevention and screening strategies.

A new analysis of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study shows that among 1713 migrants diagnosed between 2010 and 2024, 62.1% were diagnosed post-migration. This challenges the longstanding assumption that most infections occur before arrival from high-prevalence regions and aligns with another recent analysis estimating that about 30% of migrants acquire HIV after migration, underscoring ongoing risk in host countries despite prevention programs.

Presenting the 15‑year analysis at the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) 2025 Annual Meeting, PhD researcher Jessy J. Duran Ramirez of University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, reported that migrants now account for 49% of new HIV diagnoses in Switzerland — a share that has risen steadily even as rates in other European populations stabilize or decline.

“Despite the overall decrease and stagnation in new HIV diagnoses, migrants remain disproportionately affected,” Duran Ramirez said.

Delayed Diagnosis Patterns Emerge

Among the study’s key findings were notable diagnostic delays across migrant populations. Compared with 5 years for men who have sex with men (MSM) and just 2 years for female heterosexuals, male heterosexuals from migrant populations wait a median of 6 years from immigration to HIV diagnosis.

Key Statistics from 3490 participants (2010-2024):

  • 1777 Swiss nationals; 1713 migrants
  • 62.1% of migrant diagnoses occurred post-migration
  • Median age at diagnosis: 38 years (migrants) vs 44 years (Swiss nationals)
  • CD4 count at diagnosis: 339 cells/µL (migrants) vs 404 cells/µL (Swiss nationals)

Migrants from Asia experienced the longest delays overall, with a median of 12 years from immigration to diagnosis.

These delays resulted in significantly lower CD4 counts at diagnosis compared with Swiss nationals, indicating more advanced disease progression.

The demographic profile of post-migration diagnoses also differed markedly from that of Swiss nationals. Women accounted for 27% of migrant diagnoses vs only 11% among Swiss nationals, while MSM represented 43% of migrant cases compared with 63% of Swiss cases.

Cultural and Structural Barriers

Jürgen Rockstroh, MD, head of the HIV outpatient clinic at the University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, identified multiple obstacles preventing effective screening among migrant populations across Europe.

“People who are migrating to Europe, or are refugees, have difficulties in accessing the healthcare system because there are language barriers, there are insurance and cost coverage barriers,” he said. “The question is, how can you reach these populations?”

He pointed to successful European models like Malta’s mobile health units, which embed HIV testing within general healthcare services, and Athens’ targeted health centers designed specifically for migrants and refugees, where peers guide others from their community to access care.

“African women, for example, are not going to go to a more gay-dominated testing space. They just don’t feel comfortable there. I think we need more targeted, market-specific checkpoints,” he explained.

Promising Innovative Approaches

The PARTAGE project in France demonstrates one effective strategy for reaching migrant men, a traditionally difficult population to engage in healthcare. By offering health checkups to expectant fathers during their partner’s pregnancy, the program achieved HIV screening rates of 95%-96% across all groups.

PARTAGE Project Results (1347 expectant fathers):

  • 63% held immigrant status; 8% without health coverage
  • HIV screening achieved in 95%-96% across all groups
  • Medical diagnoses: 18% (all participants), 22% (immigrants), and 41% (immigrants without coverage)
  • Healthcare referrals: 17% (all), 20% (immigrants), and 41% (immigrants without coverage)
  • Social support referrals: 11% (all), 17% (immigrants), and 72% (immigrants without coverage)
  • Vaccination updates: 44% (all), 52% (immigrants), and 73% (immigrants without coverage)

Pauline Penot, MD, from Centre Hospitalier André Grégoire, Montreuil, France, who led the PARTAGE study, found the intervention particularly effective among disadvantaged migrants, leading to (any) medical diagnoses and healthcare referrals in 41% of participants without health coverage.

“This is the first structured health intervention to address adult men’s health by using the symbolic event of expecting a child,” Pinot said. “It showed greater attendance, and more effects were observed among disadvantaged migrants.”

Pinot noted that migrants often arrive in Europe healthier than native populations, but their health deteriorates faster, especially among those from poorer regions. She suggested that scaling the PARTAGE model across France and other European countries could help reduce social and gender health inequalities.

Policy Implications

The Swiss data underscores an urgent need for culturally sensitive, accessible screening programs that can identify HIV infections earlier in migrant populations across Europe. With roughly one third of post-migration diagnoses occurring within the first year of arrival — a period of particular vulnerability — the window for intervention remains narrow but critical.

For Duran Ramirez, the next phase of research will focus on determining whether these post-migration diagnoses represent infections acquired after arrival or pre-existing infections that went undetected.

“Understanding the timing of HIV acquisition and diagnosis in migrant populations is essential to designing prevention strategies that reach them earlier,” she said.

The findings suggest that current European prevention infrastructure, while effective for established populations, requires significant adaptation to address the complex healthcare needs of its increasingly diverse migrant communities.

Duran Ramirez reported receiving research grants or fellowships to her institution from Gilead Sciences Switzerland Sàrl and ViiV Healthcare that were unrelated to this work. Rockstroh reported receiving honoraria for educational talks for ViiV Healthcare, Merck, and Gilead Sciences. Penot reported having no relevant financial relationships.

By Becky McCall, MSc, MScPh

 

Source : Medscape

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