Active recruitment strategy in disadvantaged immigrant populations improves the identification of human immunodeficiency but not of hepatitis B or C virus infections.

BACKGROUND: Barriers to access medical screening and care may underestimate the number of diseased subjects among immigrant populations.

AIMS: To evaluate the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infections among immigrants recruited in a disadvantaged area.

METHODS: The study enrolled all subjects seen between 1999 and 2009 at an on-site health and family counselling centre for immigrants. During the first 6 years of the study a pro-active recruitment was performed using a mobile unit.

RESULTS: Overall 2681 subjects were enrolled (median age: 31 years; 52.8% males; 82.3% from Sub-Saharan Africa; 13.9% of the women were sex workers). A total of 206 subjects (7.6%) were hepatitis B surface antigen-positive, 84 (3.6%) were anti-hepatitis C virus-positive, 129 (5%) were anti-human immunodeficiency virus-positive, 84 (3.1%) were drug users, and 436 (16.3%) were alcohol abusers. The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-hepatitis C virus remained consistent throughout the study period, while the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus significantly decreased. At multivariate analysis, hepatitis B virus infection was associated with male gender, hepatitis C virus infection with drug addiction, and human immunodeficiency virus infection was associated with female gender, drug addiction, and active recruitment.

CONCLUSIONS: An active recruitment strategy should be considered to reach disadvantaged populations at high risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection.