Objective Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) might be particularly likely to migrate to experience freedoms unavailable in their home countries. Structural stigma (e.g., laws and policies promoting the unequal treatment of oppressed populations) in MSM migrants’ sending and receiving countries represent potential barriers to HIV prevention among this intersectional population. This present study represents the first investigation of structural determinants of HIV risk in a large, geographically-diverse sample of MSM migrants. Design The 2010 European MSM Internet Survey (EMIS) (n=23,371 migrants) was administered across 38 European countries. Methods Structural stigma was assessed using (1) national laws and policies promoting unequal treatment of MSM across 181 countries worldwide and (2) national attitudes against immigrants in the 38 receiving countries. We also assessed linguistic status, time since migrating, and five HIV-prevention outcomes. Results Structural stigma toward sexual minorities (in sending and receiving countries) and toward immigrants (in receiving countries) was associated with a lack of HIV-prevention knowledge, service coverage, and precautionary behaviors among MSM migrants. Linguistic status and time since migrating moderated some associations between structural stigma and lack of HIV prevention. Conclusions Structural stigma toward MSM and immigrants represents a modifiable structural determinant of the global HIV epidemic.

The profile of the MSM who had never been tested for HIV indicates that most of them were men who were hard to reach (young, bisexual men, in the closet). Interventions should aim to improve access to and the convenience of testing.

Alternative strategies are required to enhance the diagnosis of silent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in key populations at risk. Among them, HCV prevalence and bio-behavioural data are scarce for HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) and men and trans-women sex workers. We sought to describe and assess the potential benefits of a community-based one-step HCV screening and confirmatory strategy for these populations in Barcelona. The screening strategy based on a real-time RT-PCR assay for HCV-RNA detection in dried-blood spots (DBS) was validated and implemented in addition to an antibody point-of-care test in a community centre. HCV prevalence was assessed, and bio-behavioural data were collected. The molecular assay was precise, reproducible, sensitive and specific. Four HIV-negative MSM reported being currently infected (0.75% HCV self-reported prevalence). Implementation of DBS testing was easy, and acceptability was >95%, but no silent HCV case was diagnosed (N = 580). High-risk sexual practices and drug use for sex were reported frequently. HIV prevalence was 4.7% in MSM and 10% in sex workers. Self-reported prevalence of other STIs ranged from 11.3% to 36.2%. In conclusion, HCV-RNA testing in DBS showed a good performance, but the assessed one-step strategy does not seem beneficial in this setting. Although no silent HCV infections were detected, the observed high-risk behaviours and prevalence of other STIs suggest that HCV spread should be periodically monitored among these populations in Barcelona by means of behavioural surveillance, rapid antibody testing and molecular confirmation in DBS.