Seroprevalence of Dengue and Chikungunya Virus Infections in Children Living in Sub-Saharan Africa: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Neema Kayange,
Duncan K Hau,
Kevin Pain,
Stephen E Mshana,
Robert Peck,
Stephan Gehring,
Britta Groendahl,
Philip Koliopoulos,
Baraka Revocatus,
Evarist B Msaki,
Ombeva Malande
Affiliations
Neema Kayange
Department of Pediatrics, Bugando Medical Centre, Weill Bugando School of Medicine, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza P.O. Box 1464, Tanzania
Duncan K Hau
Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
Kevin Pain
Samuel J. Wood Library and C.V. Starr Biomedical Information Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
Stephen E Mshana
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Bugando School of Medicine, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza P.O. Box 1464, Tanzania
Robert Peck
Department of Pediatrics, Bugando Medical Centre, Weill Bugando School of Medicine, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza P.O. Box 1464, Tanzania
Stephan Gehring
Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany
Britta Groendahl
Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany
Philip Koliopoulos
Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany
Baraka Revocatus
Department of Data and Statistics, Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza P.O. Box 1370, Tanzania
Evarist B Msaki
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza P.O. Box 1370, Tanzania
Ombeva Malande
East Africa Centre for Vaccines and Immunization (ECAVI), Kampala P.O. Box 3040, Uganda
Dengue and chikungunya viruses are frequent causes of malarial-like febrile illness in children. The rapid increase in virus transmission by mosquitoes is a global health concern. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of the childhood prevalence of dengue and chikungunya in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A comprehensive search of the MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), and Cochrane Library (Wiley) databases was conducted on 28 June 2019, and updated on 12 February 2022. The search strategy was designed to retrieve all articles pertaining to arboviruses in SSA children using both controlled vocabulary and keywords. The pooled (weighted) proportion of dengue and chikungunya was estimated using a random effect model. The overall pooled prevalence of dengue and chikungunya in SSA children was estimated to be 16% and 7%, respectively. Prevalence was slightly lower during the period 2010–2020 compared to 2000–2009. The study design varied depending on the healthcare facility reporting the disease outbreak. Importantly, laboratory methods used to detect arbovirus infections differed. The present review documents the prevalence of dengue and chikungunya in pediatric patients throughout SSA. The results provide unprecedented insight into the transmission of dengue and chikungunya viruses among these children and highlight the need for enhanced surveillance and controlled methodology.
