HIV e sífilis em mulheres migrantes: ações e desafios no enfrentamento

Abstract

Introduction: During the migration process, migrant populations may be at greater risk of contracting communicable diseases, including Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), this is established due to barriers to accessing health services during displacement, these barriers include cultural differences and language, discrimination, permanence in places without adequate sanitary conditions, among others. Women are often in the most exposed group and can be significantly more affected. Objectives: To identify and analyze the perception of health managers on the main actions adopted and the challenges encountered, to face HIV and Syphilis, in Venezuelans, in migration situation in Brazil, in the cities of Boa Vista and Manaus and identify through a systematic review of the prevalence of HIV and syphilis in international migrant and refugee women. Methods: in step 1, a cross-sectional study, carried out between January and March 2021, with a sample of 10 managers from the cities of Boa Vista and Manaus. Data were collected through interviews, which followed a semi-structured script. The analysis of the interviews was based on the content evaluation technique. The themes emerging from the content analysis were grouped into: access to the service, diagnosis and treatment; strategies and actions adopted; Evaluation of strategies and actions; challenges; Future scenario in the fight against HIV and syphilis by Venezuelan migrants in Brazil. In step 2, a systematic literature review was carried out by searching the following databases: PubMed; LILACS, Web of Science and Embase, until July 2022. Two reviewers selected the studies, extracted the data and evaluated the methodological quality of those included. The search identified 1,090 publications, of which 5 were included in the study. Results: Services available for diagnosis and treatment of Venezuelan women with HIV, AIDS and/or Syphilis were mentioned; perception of vacancies, composition of teams, documents needed for care, challenges for diagnosis and treatment, psychosocial support offered, existence, or not, of an action plan aimed at this public in the municipalities surveyed. The overall HIV prevalence in international migrant women was 0.68% (95% CI 0.28-1.62. The overall analysis included 9,353 international migrant or refugee women, of whom 100 (1.06%) were diagnosed with HIV. Final considerations: There are few studies on HIV prevalence and these are even rarer in relation to data on the prevalence of syphilis in international migrant/refugee women. Overall HIV prevalence was slightly lower than estimates found in the general population. New studies need to be carried out to assist in the recognition of the difficulties faced by this population in their trajectories and displacements.