ArticleJournal of the International AIDS Society2019
Estimates of the HIV undiagnosed population in Belgium reveals higher prevalence for MSM with foreign nationality and for geographic areas hosting big cities.
Article in Journal of the International AIDS Society, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A systematic review of models used to estimate undiagnosed HIV prevalence in high-income low-prevalence countries and territories.AIDS (London, England) · 2026Pooled it
- HIV seroprevalence in five key populations in Europe: a systematic literature review, 2009 to 2019.Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2021Pooled it
- Secular trend in universal hepatocellular carcinoma prevention: Taiwan, Poland, and Belgium experience.World journal of gastrointestinal oncology · 2025Article
- Determinants of HIV Testing Among Migrant Men Who Have Sex With Men from Sub-Saharan Africa and Other Regions Residing in 10 European Countries.AIDS and behavior · 2024Article
- HIV incidence estimates by sex and age group in the population aged 15 years or over, Brazil, 1986-2018.Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical · 2022Article
- Stigma Mechanisms and Outcomes among Sub-Saharan African Descendants in Belgium-Contextualizing the HIV Stigma Framework.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Development and Evaluation of an HIV-Testing Intervention for Primary Care: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.JMIR research protocols · 2020Article
- Monitoring progress towards the first UNAIDS 90-90-90 target in key populations living with HIV in Norway.BMC infectious diseases · 2020Article
- The role of mobility in sexual risk behaviour and HIV acquisition among sub-Saharan African migrants residing in two European cities.PloS one · 2020Article
- Estimates of the HIV undiagnosed population in Belgium reveals higher prevalence for MSM with foreign nationality and for geographic areas hosting big cities.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionIncreasing our knowledge on geographic areas and key populations most affected by HIV is essential to improve prevention and care and to ensure a more focused HIV response. Here, we estimated the prevalence of undiagnosed HIV infections in Belgium and its distribution across geographic areas and exposure groups.
methodsWe used surveillance data on newly diagnosed HIV cases and a previously developed back-calculation model to estimate number and prevalence rates (per 10000) of undiagnosed HIV infections by exposure group at national and subnational levels. Belgium consists of three regions: Flanders, Brussels-Capital Region and Wallonia. We produced estimates for Brussels-Capital Region and Wallonia. For Flanders, we produced estimates for two sub-regional areas: the province of Antwerp and the other provinces, because Antwerp is the second largest city after Brussels. Population sizes were determined using data from the Belgian Statistical Office and surveys on sexual behaviour and drug use.
resultsIn Belgium, in 2015, an estimated 2818 (95% confidence interval: 2494 to 3208) individuals were living with undiagnosed HIV, that is, 15% of individuals living with HIV. The Brussels-Capital Region and the province of Antwerp, which host the two biggest cities, accounted for ~60% of the undiagnosed infections, and had the highest undiagnosed prevalence rates per 10000: 12.0 (9.4 to 15.3) and 7.4 (5.6 to 9.8) respectively. Individuals with foreign nationality accounted for 56% of the total number of undiagnosed infections, and were the most affected populations in all areas in terms of undiagnosed prevalence rates. Specifically, men who have sex with men (MSM) with non-European nationality were the most affected population in the province of Antwerp (853.4 (408.2 to 1641.9) undiagnosed infections per 10000), the Brussels-Capital Region (543.9 (289.1 to 1019.1)), and the other provinces of Flanders (691.7 (235.5 to 1442.2)), while in Wallonia, it was heterosexual women with Sub-Saharan African nationality (132.2 (90.6 to 178.5)).
conclusionsGeographic areas hosting the biggest cities in Belgium accounted for the vast majority of undiagnosed HIV infections and individuals with foreign nationality were the most affected, especially MSM with non-European nationality. This should be accounted for when tailoring prevention and testing programs. Furthermore, MSM with foreign nationality require more attention in Belgium, and certainly more generally in Europe.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.