Hepatitis C Virus Epidemiology in Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVES:
To
characterize hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemiology and assess country-specific
population-level HCV prevalence in four countries in the Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) region: Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
METHODS:
Reports
of HCV prevalence were systematically reviewed as per PRISMA guidelines. Pooled
HCV prevalence estimates in different risk populations were conducted when the
number of measures per risk category was at least five.
RESULTS:
We
identified 101 prevalence estimates. Pooled HCV antibody prevalence in the
general population in Somalia, Sudan and Yemen was 0.9% (95% confidence
interval [95%CI]: 0.3%-1.9%), 1.0% (95%CI: 0.3%-1.9%) and 1.9% (95%CI:
1.4%-2.6%), respectively. The only general population study from Djibouti
reported a prevalence of 0.3% (CI: 0.2%-0.4%) in blood donors. In high-risk
populations (e.g., haemodialysis and haemophilia patients), pooled HCV
prevalence was 17.3% (95%CI: 8.6%-28.2%) in Sudan. In Yemen, three studies of
haemodialysis patients reported HCV prevalence between 40.0%-62.7%. In
intermediate-risk populations (e.g.. healthcare workers, in patients and men
who have sex with men), pooled HCV prevalence was 1.7% (95%CI: 0.0%-4.9%) in
Somalia and 0.6% (95%CI: 0.4%-0.8%) in Sudan.
CONCLUSION:
National
HCV prevalence in Yemen appears to be higher than in Djibouti, Somalia, and
Sudan as well as most other MENA countries; but otherwise prevalence levels in
this subregion are comparable to global levels. The high HCV prevalence in
patients who have undergone clinical care appears to reflect ongoing
transmission in clinical settings. HCV prevalence in people who inject drugs
remains unknown.
Full article at:
- 1Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Cornell University, Qatar Foundation - Education City, Doha, Qatar.
- 2Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, New York, United States of America.
- 3College of Public Health, Hamad bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar.
PLoS One. 2016 Feb 22;11(2):e0149966. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149966. eCollection 2016.
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