Prevalence of Anopheles stephensi in Horn of Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Anopheles stephensi has been a primary cause of malaria spread in urban areas. The World Health Organization announced a threat alert in 2019 that highlighted the An. stephensi outbreak in the Horn of Africa. Currently, there is insufficient information on the prevalence of An. s...

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Main Authors: Wagaw Abebe, Assefa Sisay, Yenesew Mihret, Abebaw Setegn, Zelalem Asmare, Dagmawi Woldesenbet, Birhanu Kassanew, Amare Mekuanint, Sefineh Fenta Feleke
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-04-01
Series:BMC Infectious Diseases
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-11022-1
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author Wagaw Abebe
Assefa Sisay
Yenesew Mihret
Abebaw Setegn
Zelalem Asmare
Dagmawi Woldesenbet
Birhanu Kassanew
Amare Mekuanint
Sefineh Fenta Feleke
author_facet Wagaw Abebe
Assefa Sisay
Yenesew Mihret
Abebaw Setegn
Zelalem Asmare
Dagmawi Woldesenbet
Birhanu Kassanew
Amare Mekuanint
Sefineh Fenta Feleke
author_sort Wagaw Abebe
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Anopheles stephensi has been a primary cause of malaria spread in urban areas. The World Health Organization announced a threat alert in 2019 that highlighted the An. stephensi outbreak in the Horn of Africa. Currently, there is insufficient information on the prevalence of An. stephensi. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi in Horn of Africa. Methods Systematic search was performed to retrieve articles from PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct databases, and Google Scholar search engine. Fourteen potential studies that provided important data on An. stephensi were systematically reviewed and analyzed. The prevalence of An. stephensi was extracted separately into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using STATA 17.0. The Inverse of variance was done to evaluate heterogeneity across studies. A funnel plot and an Egger’s test were used to evaluate the potential publication bias. A trim-and-fill-meta-analysis was carried out to generate a bias-adjusted effect estimate. A random effect model was used to determine the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi. Subgroup analysis was performed based on year of publication and country. Results A total of 14 studies were included for this systematic review and meta-analysis. From this meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi was 41.26%. The subgroup analysis based on year of publication showed that the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi in studies conducted 2014–2018 was 99%, while it was 36.82% in studies conducted 2019–2024. On the other hand, country-based analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somaliland, and Sudan was 10.5%, 17.3%, 55.30%, 9.90%, 48.70%, and 24.63%, respectively. Conclusions This systematic review and meta-analysis reveal a high prevalence of An. stephensi across the Horn of Africa region. This underscores the significant challenges in managing malaria infections transmitted by An. stephensi in the region. Health officials must adjust current vector control measures to incorporate An. stephensi with the local malaria vector species. Also, regular identification and limiting of An. stephensi must be sustained to ensure the effectiveness of malaria prevention.
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spelling doaj-art-e6ec7233fadf455a95cbb6c41b9851e22025-08-20T01:47:33ZengBMCBMC Infectious Diseases1471-23342025-04-0125111010.1186/s12879-025-11022-1Prevalence of Anopheles stephensi in Horn of Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysisWagaw Abebe0Assefa Sisay1Yenesew Mihret2Abebaw Setegn3Zelalem Asmare4Dagmawi Woldesenbet5Birhanu Kassanew6Amare Mekuanint7Sefineh Fenta Feleke8Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Woldia UniversityDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Woldia UniversityDepartment of Medical Parasitology, School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of GondarDepartment of Medical Parasitology, School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of GondarDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Woldia UniversityDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wachemo UniversityDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Woldia UniversityDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of GondarDepartment of Public Health, College of health sciences, Woldia UniversityAbstract Background Anopheles stephensi has been a primary cause of malaria spread in urban areas. The World Health Organization announced a threat alert in 2019 that highlighted the An. stephensi outbreak in the Horn of Africa. Currently, there is insufficient information on the prevalence of An. stephensi. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi in Horn of Africa. Methods Systematic search was performed to retrieve articles from PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct databases, and Google Scholar search engine. Fourteen potential studies that provided important data on An. stephensi were systematically reviewed and analyzed. The prevalence of An. stephensi was extracted separately into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using STATA 17.0. The Inverse of variance was done to evaluate heterogeneity across studies. A funnel plot and an Egger’s test were used to evaluate the potential publication bias. A trim-and-fill-meta-analysis was carried out to generate a bias-adjusted effect estimate. A random effect model was used to determine the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi. Subgroup analysis was performed based on year of publication and country. Results A total of 14 studies were included for this systematic review and meta-analysis. From this meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi was 41.26%. The subgroup analysis based on year of publication showed that the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi in studies conducted 2014–2018 was 99%, while it was 36.82% in studies conducted 2019–2024. On the other hand, country-based analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somaliland, and Sudan was 10.5%, 17.3%, 55.30%, 9.90%, 48.70%, and 24.63%, respectively. Conclusions This systematic review and meta-analysis reveal a high prevalence of An. stephensi across the Horn of Africa region. This underscores the significant challenges in managing malaria infections transmitted by An. stephensi in the region. Health officials must adjust current vector control measures to incorporate An. stephensi with the local malaria vector species. Also, regular identification and limiting of An. stephensi must be sustained to ensure the effectiveness of malaria prevention.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-11022-1PrevalenceAnopheles stephensiMalariaHorn of AfricaReview
spellingShingle Wagaw Abebe
Assefa Sisay
Yenesew Mihret
Abebaw Setegn
Zelalem Asmare
Dagmawi Woldesenbet
Birhanu Kassanew
Amare Mekuanint
Sefineh Fenta Feleke
Prevalence of Anopheles stephensi in Horn of Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
BMC Infectious Diseases
Prevalence
Anopheles stephensi
Malaria
Horn of Africa
Review
title Prevalence of Anopheles stephensi in Horn of Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
title_full Prevalence of Anopheles stephensi in Horn of Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
title_fullStr Prevalence of Anopheles stephensi in Horn of Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence of Anopheles stephensi in Horn of Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
title_short Prevalence of Anopheles stephensi in Horn of Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
title_sort prevalence of anopheles stephensi in horn of africa a systematic review and meta analysis
topic Prevalence
Anopheles stephensi
Malaria
Horn of Africa
Review
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-11022-1
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