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Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Nov 21:12:1488741.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1488741. eCollection 2024.

Prevalence of human visceral leishmaniasis and its risk factors in Eastern Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abebe Kassa Geto  1 , Gete Berihun  2 , Leykun Berhanu  3 , Belay Desye  3 , Chala Daba  3   4
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Prevalence of human visceral leishmaniasis and its risk factors in Eastern Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abebe Kassa Geto et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: Visceral Leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar, is a potentially fatal, neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania and transmitted through infected sandflies. It is one of the major global public health problems and contributors to economic crisis among people. Though different studies investigated human visceral leishmaniasis in Eastern Africa, the findings were inconsistent and inconclusive enough, and there is no representative data on this devastating public health concern. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence and risk factors associated with human visceral leishmaniasis in Eastern Africa.

Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA 2020) guidelines were followed for this study. Databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, LIVIVO, African Journals Online, African Index Medicus (AIM), HINARI, Science Direct, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, and Google were used to retrieve all the relevant articles. The search was carried out from 23 May 2024 to 17 July 2024. Data were analyzed using STATA 17 software to determine the pooled prevalence of human visceral leishmaniasis with a 95% confidence interval using a random-effects model.

Result: In this meta-analysis, thirty-nine articles with 40,367 study participants were included. The overall pooled prevalence of human visceral leishmaniasis in Eastern Africa was 26.16% [95%; CI: 19.96, 32.36%; I2 = 99.67%; p = 0.00]. Gender, age, family size, presence of termite hill/mound, presence of cattle/domestic animals, outdoor sleeping, presence of VL infected family member/s, and presence of water source/pathway near home were the risk factors significantly associated with human visceral leishmaniasis.

Conclusion: The recorded pooled prevalence of human visceral leishmaniasis in Eastern Africa underscores the urgent need for comprehensive intervention strategies. This includes rigorous health education for residents, covering the disease's cause, transmission, vector breeding sites, and prevention mechanisms.

Keywords: Eastern Africa; human; outdoor sleeping; termite hill; visceral leishmaniasis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A PRISMA flow chart showing study selection for systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of human visceral leishmaniasis and its risk factors in Eastern Africa, 2024.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot showing the pooled prevalence of human VL in Eastern Africa, 2024.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A Funnel plot to test the publication bias of the included studies in the meta-analysis.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Funnel plot displaying the result of the simulated meta-analysis.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Sensitivity analysis result of the included studies for the pooled prevalence of human VL in Eastern Africa, 2024.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Subgroup analysis by country category.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Subgroup analysis by study setting.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Subgroup analysis by publication year category.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Subgroup analysis by sample size category.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Subgroup analysis by study design.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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