Informing infectious disease interventions with genomics during big events

Abstract

Migration and forced displacement are on the rise globally, particularly in areas with high HIV prevalence. HIV transmission within and between migrant and local communities can be facilitated by delayed HIV diagnosis and less viral suppression due to financial, logistical, and administrative barriers in access to HIV care encountered by displaced people. Molecular epidemiology presents a new way to describe viral transmission patterns and unique challenges faced by migrant populations. However, sequencing capacities in most settings affected by large-scale displacement are limited. We applied nanopore sequencing technology to obtain HIV and HCV genetic sequences and estimate the timing of transmission events in forcibly displaced people who inject drugs (fdPWID), in Ukraine before the start of the full-scale invasion. This analysis indicated that fdPWID might be getting exposed to HIV and HCV in the first 18 months after relocation.

Biography

Dr. Vasylyeva is an expert in molecular and socio-behavioral epidemiology, with a particular focus on HIV epidemics in migrant and forcibly displaced populations. Her work is aimed at utilizing phylodynamics and epidemiological modelling to describe the spread of viral infectious diseases in a population and assess different prevention strategies. Her current aim is to develop a framework for rapid socio-molecular epidemiology investigations in forcibly displaced populations.