Category Archives: Epidemiology
The prevalence of latent and acute toxoplasmosis in HIV-infected pregnant women: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: HIV in pregnancy is not only important for mother-to-child HIV transmission, but also it assumes additional importance because HIV increases susceptibility to opportunistic infections, leading to increased morbidity and...
Implications of COVID-19 in high burden countries for HIV/TB: A systematic review of evidence
BACKGROUND: The triple burden of COVID-19, tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus is one of the major global health challenges of the twenty-first century. In high burden HIV/TB countries, the spread...
Prevalence and type distribution of human papillomavirus recovered from the uterine cervix of Nigerian women: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Infection with an oncogenic type of human papillomavirus is a prerequisite for the development of precancerous cervical lesions and its subsequent progression to cervical cancer. With an alarming increase...
Prevalence of vertical HIV infection and its risk factors among HIV exposed infants in East Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of the most important global health problems. More than one and half million of children are living with HIV in the world, and...
Global prevalence of HCV and/or HBV coinfections among people who inject drugs and female sex workers who live with HIV/AIDS: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Coinfections of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and/or hepatitis B virus (HBV) with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are associated with high morbidity and mortality and poor prognosis. The main...
Epidemiology of Cryptosporidium infections among people living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria: Results of systematic review and meta-analysis
PURPOSE: Cryptosporidium is implicated in diarrhea epidemics in many parts of the world and is said to be the most common protozoan cause of diarrhea among people living with HIV/AIDS...
Is sexual risk behaviour associated with an increased risk of transfusion-transmissible infections in blood donors from Western and Pacific countries? A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The donor medical questionnaire is designed to aid blood establishments in supporting a safe blood supply. According to blood donor deferral policies, sexual risk behaviour (SRB) leads...
Cryptococcal antigenemia and its predictors among HIV infected patients in resource limited settings: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic fungal infection that primarily affects people with advanced HIV/AIDS and is an important cause of morbidity and mortality around the globe. By far the most...
The prevalence of cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) and benefits of pre-emptive antifungal treatment among HIV-infected persons with CD4+ T-cell counts < 200 cells/muL: Evidence based on a meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Current WHO guidelines (2018) recommend screening for cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) in HIV-infected persons with CD4+ T cell counts< 100 cells/muL, followed by pre-emptive antifungal therapy among CrAg positive (CrAg+)...
Cryptococcal meningitis: A review of cryptococcal antigen screening programs in Africa
INTRODUCTION: Cryptococcal meningitis remains a significant contributor to AIDS-related mortality despite widened access to antiretroviral therapy. Cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) can be detected in the blood prior to development of meningitis....
