Category Archives: Epidemiology
The effect of HIV and mpox co-infection on clinical outcomes: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction: Co-infection with HIV and mpox is a significant issue for public health because of the potential combined impact on clinical outcomes. However, the existing literature lacks a comprehensive synthesis of...
The pandemics of mass destruction: A Comparative analysis of HIV/AIDS and Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Historically, humanity has suffered and endured deadly pandemics of varying mortality rates. Irrefutably, research shows that the outbreak of pandemics is flooded by mythical and fallacious information among the public,...
Disparities in COVID-19 mortality amongst the immunosuppressed: A systematic review and meta-analysis for enhanced disease surveillance
Background Effective disease surveillance, including that for COVID-19, is compromised without a standardised method for categorising the immunosuppressed as a clinical risk group. Methods We conducted a systematic review and...
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein among people living with HIV on highly active antiretroviral therapy: A systemic review and meta-analysis
The pathological consequences of inflammation persist in people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH), regardless of the positive outcomes of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The current systematic review...
Impact of harm minimization interventions on reducing blood-borne infection transmission and some injecting behaviors among people who inject drugs: An overview and evidence gap mapping
Background This study aimed to synthetize the evidence on the effectiveness of harm minimization interventions on reducing blood-borne infection transmission and injecting behaviors among people who inject drugs (PWID) through...
The safety and immunogenicity of vaccines administered to pregnant women living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-exposed uninfected (HEU) infants have a higher burden of infectious diseases related morbidity and mortality compared with HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU). Immunization of pregnant women living with...
Scoping review of HIV-related intersectional stigma among sexual and gender minorities in sub-Saharan Africa
OBJECTIVES: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are disproportionately impacted by HIV and often face multiple HIV-related stigmas. Addressing these stigmas could reduce SGM HIV vulnerability...
Combined “Test and Treat” campaigns for human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C: A systematic review to provide evidence to support World Health Organization treatment guidelines
BACKGROUND: Worldwide, more than 39 million individuals are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 296 million with chronic hepatitis B (HBV), and 58 million with chronic hepatitis C (HCV). Despite...
CD4/CD8 ratio and CD8+ T-cell count as prognostic markers for non-AIDS mortality in people living with HIV. A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: In people living with HIV (PLHIV), the CD4/CD8 ratio has been proposed as a useful marker for non-AIDS events. However, its predictive ability on mortality over CD4 counts, and...
Interventions, barriers, and facilitators to address the sexual problems of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men living with HIV: A rapid scoping review
Sexual problems are common among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) after diagnosis with HIV. However, these are often overlooked in care and research, where...
Association between genital mycoplasmas (Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis) and HIV infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Several studies have reported the occurrence of genital mycoplasmas (Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Mycoplasma fermentans) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, but findings are conflicting. The aim...
Effectiveness of linkage to care and prevention interventions following HIV self-testing: A global systematic review and meta-analysis
Over 38.4 million people were living with HIV globally in 2021. The HIV continuum includes HIV testing, diagnosis, linkage to combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), and retention in care. An important...
