HIV transmission persists in Europe, with migrants accounting for over two-fifths of new diagnoses. Over half of all women in Europe are diagnosed late — particularly migrant women. Therefore, an updated understanding of migrant women's needs is crucial to inform inclusive and relevant HIV research, services, and policies. A systematic review relating to factors influencing late HIV diagnoses among migrant women living in Europe in 2011–2021 was conducted, based on data from 12 papers relating to 13 European Union (EU) countries and three non-EU countries. The studies revealed a range of individual, sociocultural, and structural barriers to HIV diagnosis. Individual barriers included low perceived risk of HIV, lack of knowledge about HIV symptoms and HIV services, lack of trust in healthcare systems, and fear of societal implications of an HIV diagnosis. Sociocultural barriers included language and communication challenges, stigma, and lack of community testing opportunities. Structural factors included poverty, poor living conditions, unclear legal rights, administrative barriers to healthcare access, and lack of testing opportunities. Barriers varied according to resident country, healthcare system, and country/region of origin. The studies highlighted the importance of inclusive research and service design and development, to address the needs of migrant women and reduce inequalities, especially given the current climate in Europe and the everchanging patterns of migration.

Background. Erysipelas and cellulitis are common, acute, bacterial infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The incidence of these infections is growing, and the recurrence rate is high. Effective antibiotic prophylaxis is available, but insufficient data exist on the risks factors for recurrent infection. Purpose. To compare comorbidities and laboratory findings in patients with single-episode and recurrent erysipelas/cellulitis in order to identify risk factors for recurrent erysipelas/cellulitis. Methods. A cross-sectional study, which included patients hospitalized in the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Hepatology of the Medical University of Warsaw due to erysipelas and cellulitis during 3 consecutive years (July 2016–June 2019). Results. The study included 163 patients, of which 98 had a first episode of erysipelas/cellulitis and 65 had a recurrence. The recurrent infection was significantly associated with a history of lymphedema (12.3% in the recurrent group vs. 2.0% in the first-episode group, p=0.015), a higher BMI (35.4 vs. 31.2, respectively, p=0.002), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (10.8% vs. 2.0%, p=0.030), and a shorter history of symptoms prior to hospitalization (6.0 days vs. 11.8 days, p=0.004). Patients with the first episode of infection were more likely to have had minor local trauma directly preceding the symptoms of infection (20.4% in the first-episode group vs. 1.5% in the recurrent group, p=0.001). Conclusions. Patients with lymphedema and obesity should be viewed at high risk of developing recurrence of erysipelas and thus should be considered as candidates for antibiotic prophylaxis and other prevention methods. Minor local trauma directly preceding the skin infection does not by itself confer a higher risk for erysipelas recurrence. More research is needed to assess the association of recurrent skin and soft-tissue infection to preceding minor local trauma, individual components of the metabolic syndrome, and COPD.

Cowpox is a rare zoonosis transmitted to humans mainly from cats. The disease usually causes skin lesions; however, the ocular form may lead to other serious complications. We describe a case of cowpox in a rare location of the upper eyelid of an immunocompetent male, which lead to necrosis of the upper eyelid, keratitis and leucomatous opacity, and the neovascularization of the cornea. The patient underwent several surgeries, including reconstruction surgery of the eyelids, correction of the medial canthus, and corneal neurotization with supraorbicular nerve transplantation. Suspicion of cowpox should be made in patients where there are poorly healing skin lesions accompanied by a painful black eschar with erythema and local lymphadenopathy. Ocular cowpox may lead to serious complications and possibly mimic anthrax. Diagnosis of cowpox can be confirmed by detection of cowpox virus DNA by polymerase chain reaction. Patients should be advised to protect themselves while handling sick animals.

Background: According to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reports, women and migrants are more likely to have delayed HIV diagnosis (CD4 <350 cells/mm³). As a follow‐up to a previously published systematic review revealing a range of barriers to HIV testing among migrant women, the aim of the present study was to identify barriers to HIV testing from the perspective of service providers and to formulate possible interventions to improve access to HIV healthcare among migrants in Europe, with an emphasis on migrant women.Methods: Between November 2021 and February 2022 an online survey, consisting of 20 questions, was forwarded to 178 stakeholders and non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) working with migrant populations in 33 countries from the World Health Organization (WHO) European region.Results: Forty‐three responses from 14 countries were analysed. Most respondents (70%) judged migrants’ access to healthcare as worse than that for the resident native population. Only 2/11 prevention interventions were available to all in at least 50% of participating countries. The three main barriers to accessing healthcare for migrant women and reasons for late HIV diagnosis among migrant women were stigma and discrimination, language barriers, and cultural barriers.Conclusions: Many HIV prevention interventions are not free of charge for all within Europe. The results of this survey show that migrant women face many barriers to accessing healthcare and that these might contribute to late HIV diagnosis. Simplification of access to free healthcare for all, more awareness raising about HIV screening and prevention among migrant women, and more migrant‐focused outreach programmes are suggested to improve migrant women's access to HIV healthcare in Europe.

Background: Women living with HIV (WLWH) are at increased risk of human papillomavirus (HPV)‐related cancers. Throughout Europe, there is great heterogeneity among guidelines for screening programmes, access to HPV testing and HPV vaccination. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize available data on screening and prevention measures for HPV‐related anogenital cancers in WLWH across the WHO European Region (WER).Methods: The systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines and was registered on Prospero. PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases were searched to identify available studies, written in English and published between 2011 and 2022. A metanalysis was conducted using random‐effects models to calculate pooled prevalence of HPV. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to country and HPV testing.Results: Thirty‐four articles involving 10 336 WLWH met the inclusion criteria. Studies were heterogenous in their methodology and presentation of results: 73.5% of studies focused on cervical cancer prevention, and only 4.4% on anal cancer; 76.5% of studies conducted HPV testing as a routine part of screening. The prevalence of high‐risk HPV was 30.5–33.9% depending on the detection method used. A total of 77% of WLWH had cervical cytology results reported. Six studies reported the positive association of CD4 cell count <200 cells/μL with HPV prevalence and cervical abnormalities. Anal HPV testing was conducted in <8% of participants. HPV vaccination was completed in 5.6% of women (106/1902) with known vaccination status. There was no information about the vaccination status of the majority of women in the analysed studies (8434/10336).Conclusion: Data about screening of HPV‐related anogenital cancer in WLWH in Europe are heterogenous and lacking, especially in relation to anal cancer. HPV DNA testing is not routinely done as part of screening for HPV‐related cancer; guidelines should include indications for when to use this test. Low CD4 count is a risk factor for HPV infection and cytological abnormalities. HPV vaccination data are poor and, when available, vaccination rates are very low among WLWH in Europe. This review concludes that significant improvements are required for data and also consistency on guidelines for HPV screening, prevention and vaccination in WLWH.