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SDG 3: Hepatitis

Abstract

Background

Recent hepatitis A virus outbreaks in Europe affecting men who have sex with men (MSM) and ongoing hepatitis B virus transmission among MSM underscore the ongoing need for viral hepatitis prevention in this population.

Aim

To describe viral hepatitis knowledge and associated factors among MSM in the WHO European Region to inform targeted prevention.

Methods

In the European MSM Internet Survey (EMIS-2017), basic knowledge was defined as correctly identifying at least 4 of 5 statements about viral hepatitis and vaccination. We described basic knowledge by country. In a multilevel logistic regression model, we estimated adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for having basic knowledge and explanatory variables: sociodemographic characteristics, history of hepatitis C and/or HIV diagnosis, sexual orientation disclosure at last sexually transmitted infections (STI) test and outness.

Results

Of 113,884 participants across 43 WHO European Region countries, 68% demonstrated basic knowledge, ranging from 50% in Israel to 80% in the Netherlands. Basic knowledge was significantly associated with older age (≥ 40 years vs < 25 years, aOR: 2.9, 95% CI: 2.7–3.0), a history of hepatitis C and/or HIV diagnosis (aOR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.7–1.9) and sexual orientation disclosure at last STI test (aOR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.2–1.3), among other factors.

Conclusions

We found a knowledge disparity regarding viral hepatitis and hepatitis vaccination awareness among MSM across Europe, highlighting a need to address these gaps. A non-judgemental, accepting climate that allows individuals attending medical services to safely disclose their sexual orientation is fundamental to enable healthcare professionals to target information and preventative measures more effectively.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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2024-11-07
2024-11-21
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.45.2400099
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Viral hepatitis knowledge and vaccination awareness among men who have sex with men (MSM) in 43 countries of the WHO European Region: results from the European MSM Internet Survey, EMIS-2017
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Sofia+Burdi&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Burdi Sofia</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Michael+Brandl&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Brandl Michael</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Ulrich+Marcus&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Marcus Ulrich</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Erika+Duffell&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Duffell Erika</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Ettore+Severi&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Severi Ettore</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Antons+Mozalevskis&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Mozalevskis Antons</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Kristi+R%C3%BC%C3%BCtel&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Rüütel Kristi</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Achim+D%C3%B6rre&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Dörre Achim</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Axel+J+Schmidt&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Schmidt Axel J</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Sandra+Dudareva&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Dudareva Sandra</a></span>. Viral hepatitis knowledge and vaccination awareness among men who have sex with men (MSM) in 43 countries of the WHO European Region: results from the European MSM Internet Survey, EMIS-2017. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2024;29(45):pii=2400099. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.45.2400099" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.45.2400099</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 13 Feb 2024;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 29 Aug 2024 </span> </p>
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.45.2400099
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