Abstract
BackgroundSeveral individual epidemiological studies in Ethiopia suggest that syphilis is a public health problem. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no synthesized and meta-analysis data on the epidemiology of syphilis in Ethiopia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize and synthesize existing data on the prevalence of syphilis in Ethiopia.MethodStudies reporting the prevalence of syphilis will be identified from major databases and gray literature. The major databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, Lilacs, and African journal online) and gray literature (Google Scholar search engine, official WHO and CDC websites, the online library of academic and governmental institutions in Ethiopia) will be searched. Studies published/reported from 1 January 1990 to 1 January 2019 will be included to have a contemporary estimation. A random-effect meta-analysis of prevalence will be used after stabilizing the variance of included studies using a single arc transformation. The quality of the included studies will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instruments. Heterogeneity and publication bias will be assessed. If significant heterogeneity is detected, subgroup analysis will be done using study region, study population, diagnostic assay/syphilis screening tool, median sample size, year of data collection, study sites, sampling method, and methodological quality as grouping variables.DiscussionThis systematic review and meta-analysis intend to contribute an improved knowledge on the epidemiology of syphilis in Ethiopia. Knowledge about the epidemiology of syphilis may help policymakers and other stakeholders to allocate resources and target interventions for the prevention and elimination of syphilis.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42018116231
Highlights
Several individual epidemiological studies in Ethiopia suggest that syphilis is a public health problem
Settings This systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted in Ethiopia
Protocol development and registration We developed this protocol according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement [28], and the page numbers where each of the items found in the manuscript are presented in Additional file 1
Summary
Several individual epidemiological studies in Ethiopia suggest that syphilis is a public health problem. To the best of our knowledge, there is no synthesized and meta-analysis data on the epidemiology of syphilis in Ethiopia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize and synthesize existing data on the prevalence of syphilis in Ethiopia. Syphilis is an infectious disease caused by the spirochaete, Treponema pallidum. It is one of the major public health problems causing genital laceration that may enhance the acquisition and transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection [1]. There is a call to conduct country-level sexually transmitted infection (STI) surveillance and epidemiology estimation [3]. In Ethiopia, there is antenatal care-based sentinel HIV surveillance
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