Seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in Cameroon: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveBetter knowledge of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection prevalence at the national level can help to implement pertinent strategies to address HBV related burden. The aim was to estimate the seroprevalence of HBV infection in Cameroon.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.ParticipantsPeople residing in Cameroon.Data sourcesElectronic databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, African Journals Online (AJOL), ScienceDirect, WHO-Afro Library, WHO-IRIS, African Index Medicus, National Institute of Statistics and National AIDS Control Committee, Cameroon; regardless of language and from 1 January 2000 to 30 September 2016. This was completed with a manual search of references of relevant papers. Risk of bias in methodology of studies was measured using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.ResultsOut of 511 retrieved papers, 44 studies with a total of 105 603 individuals were finally included. The overall pooled seroprevalence was 11.2% (95% CI 9.7% to 12.8%) with high heterogeneity between studies (I 2=97.9%). Egger’s test showed no publication bias (p=0.167). A sensitivity analysis excluding individuals at high risk of HBV infection and after adjustment using trim and fill method showed a pooled seroprevalence of 10.6% (95% CI 8.6% to 12.6%) among 100 501 individuals (general population, blood donors and pregnant women). Sources of heterogeneity included geographical regions across country and setting (rural 13.3% vs urban 9.0%), and implementation of HBV universal immunisation (born after 9.2% vs born before 0.7%). Sex, site, timing of data collection, HBV screening tools and methodological quality of studies were not sources of heterogeneity.LimitationOnly a third of the studies had low risk of bias in their methodology.ConclusionThe seroprevalence of HBV infection in Cameroon is high. Effective strategies to interrupt the transmission of HBV are urgently required. Specific attention is needed for rural settings, certain regions and people born before the implementation of the HBV universal immunisation programme in Cameroon in 2005.RegistrationPROSPERO, CRD42016042654.

Prevalence and vaccination coverage of Hepatitis B among healthcare workers in Cameroon: A national seroprevalence survey

“…A recent systematic review of the seroprevalence of HBV infection in Cameroon found only four relevant studies on HCWs, and none of them covered all regions of the country. 7 Our study is the first to our knowledge conducted across all the regions of Cameroon, and illustrates an important and readily addressable public health problem in the region.…”

“…6 However, to our knowledge, no study has rigorously estimated the prevalence of HBV infection among HCWs across all regions of Cameroon. 7 Therefore, we conducted a Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroprevalence survey in a large sample of HCWs across all ten regions of Cameroon. We also assessed the vaccination status and correlates of HBV infection among this highly vulnerable group to identify areas for prevention, intervention, and populations to target with them.…”

High prevalence and diversity of hepatitis B and hepatitis delta virus in Gabon

“…Therefore, comparison of these results to HBV distribution in neighbouring countries is limited. Nevertheless, studies conducted in Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, and Cameroon reported equivalent seroprevalence . Among the risk factors we tested that were independently associated with HBV infection in previous studies, including gender, age, education level, blood transfusions, prior hospitalization, number of sexual partners, scars, and tattoos, only gender (higher for males) and age (higher in patients under 45) explained variance in HBV seroprevalence in multiple regression analyses.…”

“…Cameroon reported equivalent seroprevalence. [38][39][40] Among the risk factors we tested that were independently associated with HBV infection in previous studies, including gender, age, education level, blood transfusions, prior hospitalization, number of sexual partners, scars, and tattoos, [41][42][43] only gender (higher for males) and age (higher in patients under 45) explained variance in HBV seroprevalence in multiple regression analyses. These results were largely in agreement with those from the prior studies, [41][42][43] and also not qualitatively affected by any clustering among villages within provinces (Appendix S4).…”

Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus and Associated Risk Factors among Inmates at New Bell Prison, Douala, Cameroon

“…Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health problem in the world with significant mortality and morbidity especially in Sub Saharan African and With a general population HCV prevalence estimated at 6.5%, Cameroon is considered as one of the most affected countries in the world [2].…”