Category Archives: Epidemiology
Same-day ART initiation, loss to follow-up and viral load suppression among people living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries: Systematic review and meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: in 2015, the World Health Organization recommended early antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation after HIV diagnosis. Mixed results on the effect of same-day ART initiation (SDI) over non-same-day ART initiation...
Association of vitamin D with HIV infected individuals, TB infected individuals, and HIV-TB co-infected individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is a worldwide disease. VDD is also associated with an increased risk of HIV-related comorbidities and mortality, and patients have a tendency to develop active...
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,...
Prevalence and associated factors of herbal medicine use among patients living with chronic disease in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Complementary use of medicinal plants with prescribed drugs is becoming more widespread concern among people with chronic disease like cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and hypertension. Consequently, the purpose of this...
People who living with HIV/AIDS also have a high prevalence of anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: An estimated 301 million people worldwide suffer from anxiety disorders. People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are particularly prone to anxiety disorders that could interfere with the important developmental process...
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...
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...
