Abstract
Dengue contributes a significant burden on global public health and economies. In Africa, the burden of dengue virus (DENV) infection is not well described. This review was undertaken to determine the prevalence of dengue and associated risk factors. A literature search was done on PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar databases to identify articles published between 1960 and 2020. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effect model at a 95% confidence interval, followed by subgroup meta-analysis to determine the overall prevalence. Between 1960 and 2020, 45 outbreaks were identified, of which 17 and 16 occurred in East and West Africa, respectively. Dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV-1) and DENV-2 were the dominant serotypes contributing to 60% of the epidemics. Of 2211 cases reported between 2009 and 2020; 1954 (88.4%) were reported during outbreaks. Overall, the prevalence of dengue was 29% (95% CI: 20–39%) and 3% (95% CI: 1–5%) during the outbreak and non-outbreak periods, respectively. Old age (6/21 studies), lack of mosquito control (6/21), urban residence (4/21), climate change (3/21), and recent history of travel (3/21) were the leading risk factors. This review reports a high burden of dengue and increased risk of severe disease in Africa. Our findings provide useful information for clinical practice and health policy decisions to implement effective interventions.
Highlights
IntroductionDengue is an important arboviral disease, with the highest incidence in tropical and subtropical regions, with a potential to spread into other geographical areas
390 million people are infected with dengue virus (DENV)
A total of 2170 records were retrieved from database searches
Summary
Dengue is an important arboviral disease, with the highest incidence in tropical and subtropical regions, with a potential to spread into other geographical areas. In the past four decades, dengue has caused a significant impact on human health and national economies [1,2]. 390 million people are infected with dengue virus (DENV). 96 million develop clinical manifestations that lead to 500,000 hospitalizations and 25,000 deaths, annually [3]. Dengue is caused by an RNA virus of the family
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