Category Archives: Epidemiology
HIV risk behavior and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: HIV risk behavior among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is a major public health concern as it increases HIV transmission. In Ethiopia, findings regarding HIV risk behavior have been...
Prevalence of curable STIs and bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: STIs remain a global public health problem with a high burden among pregnant women. STIs in pregnant women may lead to various adverse pregnancy outcomes. In most sub-Saharan African...
HIV testing strategies, types of tests, and uptake by men who have sex with men and transgender women: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness of strategies and types of tests on HIV testing uptake by men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW),...
HIV infection does not affect the risk of death of COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies
Background: Even during the current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) continues to pose a major threat, worldwide. In fact, the World Health Organization...
Reinfection rate of hepatitis C in HIV-1 positive men who have sex with men: A systematic review and meta-analysis
PURPOSE: A reduction of 80% in new Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is expected by 2030. However, high HCV reinfection rates have been reported among the high-risk population. This meta-analysis...
The proportion of loss to follow-up from antiretroviral therapy (ART) and its association with age among adolescents living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a global health threat, especially in developing countries. The successful scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs to address this threat is hindered by a...
Yellow fever vaccine safety in immunocompromised individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Yellow fever is an arbovirus with variable severity, including severe forms with high mortality. The vaccination is the most effective measure to protect against the disease. Nonserious and serious...
Condom use and risk factors of inconsistent or low use of the condoms during heterosexual anal intercourse in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review
BACKGROUND: Anal intercourse (AI) has been reported to be the riskiest among other sexual intercourses in spreading human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the risk could be minimized by the use...
The demographic and socioeconomic correlates of behavior and HIV infection status across sub-Saharan Africa
Background: Predisposition to become HIV positive (HIV + ) is influenced by a wide range of correlated economic, environmental, demographic, social, and behavioral factors. While evidence among a candidate handful have...
Determinants of voluntary counseling and testing service uptake among adult sub-Saharan Africans: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Objective: To examine the major determinants of VCT service uptake among adults in SSA. Methods: Electronic databases were searched to identify eligible English language publications. Reporting of the study selection...