Sexual health in migrant, refugee and displaced populations: from evidence to practice

Event Description

This three-day online course explores the prevention, diagnosis, and management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV, and viral hepatitis in migrant, refugee, and displaced populations. Through expert-led sessions and interactive case discussions, participants will examine epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, integrated screening and prevention, and the legal, cultural, and psychosocial barriers to healthcare access. Particular emphasis will be placed on trauma-informed care and practical strategies to improve sexual health services in migrant reception centres, humanitarian settings, and primary care.

Intended audience

This course is designed for infectious disease and sexual health specialists, primary care physicians, dermatologists, obstetricians and gynaecologists, paediatricians, clinical microbiologists, public health professionals, and mental health and psychosocial support practitioners. It is also suitable for healthcare professionals working in migrant and refugee health services, reception centres, and humanitarian settings, as well as programme managers and researchers focusing on migration and sexual health.

Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the epidemiology of STIs and HIV in migrant, refugee, and displaced populations, including gaps and limitations in surveillance data.
• Recognise atypical clinical presentations and co-infections in patients from high-burden regions and adapt diagnostic approaches accordingly.
• Interpret antimicrobial resistance patterns in sexually transmitted pathogens and apply resistance-guided treatment strategies where appropriate.
• Develop integrated screening and prevention strategies for HIV, syphilis, and viral hepatitis, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), vaccination, and partner services.
• Identify legal, cultural, linguistic, and structural barriers to sexual healthcare access across European settings.
• Apply trauma-informed and culturally sensitive approaches to sexual healthcare, particularly for individuals affected by gender-based violence.
• Recognise common mental health conditions and their impact on sexual health, healthcare access, and treatment adherence.
• Apply appropriate mental health screening tools and establish culturally sensitive referral pathways, including in resource-limited settings.
• Adapt practical sexual health service-delivery models, such as community-based testing, self-sampling, and multilingual telemedicine, to local healthcare settings.
• Develop a practical action plan to improve sexual health services for migrant, refugee, and displaced populations.

Course coordinator

Ismaël Maatouk, Lebanon

Organisers

ESCMID, ESTIGS

Accreditation

The ESCMID office will apply for EACCME accreditation. 
Each participant can only receive the number of credits according to actual participation in the event and upon completion of the feedback survey.

Certification

Course organisers will monitor attendance. Participants are required to attend at least 70% of live sessions to be eligible to receive a certificate.

Course Time Zone

All ESCMID online courses are based on Central European Time (CET) and Central European Summer Time (CEST).

Do not miss the opportunity to update your knowledge with an extensive network of experts in the field and register now!
 

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