Welcome to the October 2019 Sexual Health & HIV Policy EUROBulletin.
Our eFeature in this edition is an interview with Alice Lucas, Advocacy and Policy Manager at Refugee Rights Europe. We spoke to Alice about the sexual and reproductive healthcare issues facing displaced people in Europe, in particular in the refugee camps and transit areas in Greece and northern France.
Advocacy activity highlighted in this edition reflects the ongoing concern in civil society over attempts to roll back the rights of women and LGBT communities in Europe. Members of the European Parliament and non-governmental organisations are urging the European Union to stand up for human rights and evidence-based medicine.
Access to PrEP (medication taken to prevent HIV infection) also features this month. Findings from the European MSM Internet Survey (EMIS) 2017 were used to calculate the current ‘PrEP gap’ – the level of unmet need – in Europe. It is estimated that 500,000 men who have sex with men in the European Union currently cannot access PrEP, despite being very likely to use it. Barriers to implementing PrEP were high on the agenda at the recent PrEP in Europe Summit.
Other items to look out for in this edition include: the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland; materials for the upcoming European HIV-Hepatitis Testing Week; and an update on managing drug-resistant gonorrhoea.
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