Global prevalence of alkhumra hemorrhagic fever virus infection: The first meta-analysis and systematic review

Abstract

Alkhumra hemorrhagic fever virus (AHFV) has spread beyond the Middle East. However, the actual global prevalence of the virus is yet unknown. This systematic review and meta-analysis, thus, followed the standard reporting guidelines to provide comprehensive details on the prevalence of Alkhumra virus infection globally. The pooled prevalence of AHFV globally was estimated at 1.3% (95% CI: 0.3–6.3), with higher prevalence in humans (3.4%, 95% CI: 0.4–25.0) compared to animals (0.7%, 95% CI: 0.3–1.8). The prevalence in ticks and camels were 0.7% and 0.2%, respectively. Overall, there was a high prevalence rate in Asia (2.6%) compared to Africa (0.5%), and a distinctly higher prevalence in Saudi Arabia (4.6%) compared to other parts of the world (<1%). Lower surveillance rate in humans was observed in recent years. These findings will aid public health preparedness, surveillance, and development of preventive measures due to AHFV’s potential for outbreaks and severe health consequences.

Keywords

• Alkhumra virus
• Hemorrhagic fever
• Tick
• Prevalence
• Meta-analysis