Seroprevalence of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies in Africa: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

We estimated the seroprevalence of anti‐severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) antibodies in residents of African countries and explored its associated factors. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED, CINAHL, DOAJ and Google Scholar databases for peer reviewed articles and pre‐prints that reported anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 antibody seroprevalence of general or specific human populations resident in Africa. The eligible studies were evaluated using Joana Briggs Institute prevalence critical appraisal tool. Twenty‐three studies involving 27,735 individuals were included in our paper. The pooled seroprevalence of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies in Africa was 22% (95%CI: 14–31) with very high heterogeneity ( I 2 = 100%, p < 0.001). Seroprevalence was highest in studies conducted in Central Africa compared to Southern Africa, West Africa, North Africa and East Africa respectively. The number of days between the first reported coronavirus disease 2019 case in each country and when a seroprevalence study was conducted was a significant moderator of seroprevalence. Seropositivity was numerically influenced by gender and age of the participants with males and those aged below 50 years being most affected with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. The highest pooled seroprevalence in Africa reported in this review should be interpreted cautiously due to high heterogeneity between studies. Continued seroprevalence surveillance is warranted to establish Africa's transition towards herd immunity.

SARS-CoV-2 infection in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis of standardised seroprevalence studies, from January 2020 to December 2021

“…We found a higher proportion of high-risk studies in our study compared to another SRMA in Africa (26%) by Chisale et al . [7] The interpretation of items in the JBI checklist is subjective and can vary considerably within and between study teams. Moreover, Chisale et al .…”

“…[45,46] This is also consistent with findings by Chisale et al . [7], who observed higher seroprevalence in studies conducted in Central Africa compared to other regions.…”

High SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence among Healthcare Workers in Bamako, Mali

“…Although many SARS-CoV-2 serological surveys have been performed about HCWs in industrialized countries [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], few have reported about HCWs in sub-Saharan countries [12][13][14][15][16][17]. HCWs are supposedly at higher occupational exposure risk and, therefore, need additional layers of protection.…”

SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in Western Romania, March to June 2021

“…As previously shown, a higher SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was observed in adults aged 30-49 years and this may be explained by the fact that individuals from this age group are more involved in economic activities [28] and have many social activities with their peers [29]. Moreover, young adults are the main caregivers for children and parents in case they get infected with SARS-CoV-2 [29].…”