HIV diagnoses among people born in Ukraine reported by EU/EEA countries in 2022: impact on regional HIV trends and implications for healthcare planning

Abstract

Following Russia’s invasion in 2022, over 4.1 million Ukrainians sought refuge in the EU/EEA. We assessed how this impacted HIV case reporting by EU/EEA countries. Ukrainian refugees constituted 10.2% (n = 2,338) of all 2022 HIV diagnoses, a 10-fold increase from 2021. Of these, 9.3% (n = 217) were new diagnoses, 58.5% (n = 1,368) were previously identified; 32.2% had unknown status. Displacement of Ukrainians has partly contributed to increasing HIV diagnoses in EU/EEA countries in 2022, highlighting the importance of prevention, testing and care.

Refugees from Ukraine receiving antiretroviral therapy in destination countries and territories of the World Health Organization European Region, including EU/EEA countries, February 2022 to March 2023

“…A recent study on Ukrainian refugees living with HIV in Czechia reported that 30% of PLHIV switched treatment regimens and that the main reason for switching was drug unavailability [ 13 ]. This is concerning, considering the increasing number of PLHIV among refugees from Ukraine reported in countries across Europe [ 14 ]. As the situation in Ukraine and neighbouring countries continues to change, it is possible that destination countries will experience changes in migration patterns, including a surge in the number of refugees from Ukraine.…”