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. 2024 Nov 11;24(1):1271.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-024-10099-4.

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and associated factors among outpatient attendees at health facilities in different provinces in Chad

Koutaya Dezoumbe  1   2 , Oumaima Djarma  3 , Andrillene Laure Deutou Wondeu  4 , Fatima Abdelrazak Zakaria  5 , Sabrina Atturo  6 , Nathan Naïbeï  7 , Franck J D Mennechet  8 , Denise Campagna  9 , Abdoulaye Boukar  10 , Choroma Ahmat Moussa  11 , Issa Mahamat  12 , Nontegyol Armand  13 , Mahamat Idriss Hamad  14 , Netalar Honorine  15 , Kayanlengar Frederic  16 , Adam Adami Moustapha  17 , Yanda Mberkissam Daniel  18 , Adam Moussa Alim  19 , Mahamat Grene  20 , Noubaramadji Yamti Suitombaye  21   22 , Amine Akouya  21   22 , Ouchemi Choua  23   24 , Hota Mathieu  25 , Djallaye Djimtoïbaye  21   22 , Vittorio Colizzi  4   26   27 , Giulia Cappelli  9 , Takoudjou Dzomo Guy Rodrigue  28 , Mahamat Fayiz Abakar  5 , Ali Mahamat Moussa  23   24
Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and associated factors among outpatient attendees at health facilities in different provinces in Chad

Koutaya Dezoumbe et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Chad with 7,698 confirmed cases of infection and 194 deaths since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, is one of the African countries with the lowest reported case numbers. However, this figure likely underestimates the true spread of the virus due to the low rate of diagnosis. The high rate of asymptomatic infections reflects the reality of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Chad. In this study, we estimated the seroprevalence and identified factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2022 and February 2023. A total of 1,290 plasma samples were collected from outpatient attendees at Health Facilities located in 11 provinces of Chad and tested by ELISA method, for the presence of IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV2 nucleocapsid (N) protein. KoboToolbox was used to gather data from the participants and data were analyzed using STATA 16.

Results: The overall seroprevalence was 83.0% [95% CI = 81.6%-85.5%], with variations between provinces, ranging from 99.2% [95% CI = 94.0%-100%] in Moundou (Southern Chad) to 46.8% [95% CI = 36.0% -57.1%] in Biltine (Eastern Chad). Factors associated with the seroprevalence included military occupation (OR = 0.37 CI [0.80-1.77] p = 0.025) and age group between 55-64 years (OR = 0.33 CI [0.15-0.72] p = 0.005). While, other factors, such as gender and age were not significantly associated with seroprevalence.

Conclusion: Our results indicated that, the seroprevalence of COVID-19 in Chad is among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. These estimates could guide the response and public health policy decisions, enhancing the management of future outbreaks involving respiratory pathogens.

Keywords: Associated factors; COVID-19; Chad; SARS-CoV-2; Seroprevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate The study protocol was approved by the Chad National Bioethics Committee (CNBT) on 08 April 2022 under number: 011CMT/PC/PMT/MESRI/SG/CNBT/2022 and authorized by the Chad Ministry of Public Health under number: N°2326/CMT/PC/PMT/MSPSN/SE/SG/DGPC/DPERO/SRO/2022. The protocol was presented to 11 focal points including 10 provinces and N’Djamena selected for the study. Training sessions on the data collection tool were organized before the start of data and sample collection. An information sheet was given to each voluntary participant as well as the signature of informed consent and assent for minors. The informed consent was obtained from all participants involved. For adult participants (aged ≥ 16 years), informed consent was obtained directly from each individual. For minor participants (aged < 16 years), informed consent was obtained from parents or the legally authorized representative (LAR). In both cases, consent was obtained in accordance with the ethical guidelines established by the approving ethics committee. Each participant was assigned a unique code, and the data was handled confidentially. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests.

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