Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Tanzania: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and Aim. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection represents a significant burden in low-income countries, including Tanzania. The effective planning and implementation of prevention strategies in a country can be hampered by conflicting evidence. To date, no systematic review or meta-analysis h...

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Main Authors: Semvua B. Kilonzo, Igembe Nkandala, Ladius Rudovick, Hyasinta M. Jaka, Mariam M. Mirambo, Stephen E. Mshana, Violet D. Kajogoo, Elichilia R. Shao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-01-01
Series:Journal of Tropical Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/4178240
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author Semvua B. Kilonzo
Igembe Nkandala
Ladius Rudovick
Hyasinta M. Jaka
Mariam M. Mirambo
Stephen E. Mshana
Violet D. Kajogoo
Elichilia R. Shao
author_facet Semvua B. Kilonzo
Igembe Nkandala
Ladius Rudovick
Hyasinta M. Jaka
Mariam M. Mirambo
Stephen E. Mshana
Violet D. Kajogoo
Elichilia R. Shao
author_sort Semvua B. Kilonzo
collection DOAJ
description Background and Aim. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection represents a significant burden in low-income countries, including Tanzania. The effective planning and implementation of prevention strategies in a country can be hampered by conflicting evidence. To date, no systematic review or meta-analysis has been performed to estimate the burden of disease in a country. The purpose of this review is to summarize and update the available information on the burden of HBV in Tanzania. Methods. We systematically searched the PubMed, Web of Science, African Journals Online, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases for studies conducted up to March 1, 2023, that estimated the prevalence of HBV in Tanzania based on HBV surface antigen measurements. The DerSimonian–Laird random effects model was used to estimate the overall prevalence of HBV with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Potential sources of heterogeneity were also investigated. Results. Thirty-one studies with a total sample size of 37,988 were included in the meta-analysis. The overall average HBV prevalence estimate in Tanzania was 6.91% (95% CI = 5.18–8.86%). Subgroup analysis revealed the highest prevalence in the northern zone (9.32%, 95% CI; 2.24–20.36%), among the blood donors (18.72%, 95% CI: 17.43–20.05%) and among the community volunteers (8.76%, 95% CI: 4.55–14.15%). The lowest prevalence was observed in the lake zone at 4.66% (95% CI: 3.49–5.99) and in pregnant women at 4.72% (95% CI: 3.42–6.21). The overall between-study variability showed significant heterogeneity (I2 = 97.41%, P<0.001). Conclusions. Our results showed that Tanzania is a country with moderately high HBV endemicity, with large interregional differences and significantly high numbers of HBV infections within the community. This underscores the need for immediate development of targeted prevention strategies and further epidemiological studies to better understand the pattern of the disease.
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spelling doaj-art-fe65bce6e2654e8581fde1fdc881b1be2025-08-20T02:22:34ZengWileyJournal of Tropical Medicine1687-96942024-01-01202410.1155/2024/4178240Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Tanzania: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisSemvua B. Kilonzo0Igembe Nkandala1Ladius Rudovick2Hyasinta M. Jaka3Mariam M. Mirambo4Stephen E. Mshana5Violet D. Kajogoo6Elichilia R. Shao7Internal Medicine DepartmentInternal Medicine DepartmentInternal Medicine DepartmentInternal Medicine DepartmentDepartment of Microbiology and ImmunologyDepartment of Microbiology and ImmunologyDepartment of Clinical TrialsInternal Medicine DepartmentBackground and Aim. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection represents a significant burden in low-income countries, including Tanzania. The effective planning and implementation of prevention strategies in a country can be hampered by conflicting evidence. To date, no systematic review or meta-analysis has been performed to estimate the burden of disease in a country. The purpose of this review is to summarize and update the available information on the burden of HBV in Tanzania. Methods. We systematically searched the PubMed, Web of Science, African Journals Online, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases for studies conducted up to March 1, 2023, that estimated the prevalence of HBV in Tanzania based on HBV surface antigen measurements. The DerSimonian–Laird random effects model was used to estimate the overall prevalence of HBV with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Potential sources of heterogeneity were also investigated. Results. Thirty-one studies with a total sample size of 37,988 were included in the meta-analysis. The overall average HBV prevalence estimate in Tanzania was 6.91% (95% CI = 5.18–8.86%). Subgroup analysis revealed the highest prevalence in the northern zone (9.32%, 95% CI; 2.24–20.36%), among the blood donors (18.72%, 95% CI: 17.43–20.05%) and among the community volunteers (8.76%, 95% CI: 4.55–14.15%). The lowest prevalence was observed in the lake zone at 4.66% (95% CI: 3.49–5.99) and in pregnant women at 4.72% (95% CI: 3.42–6.21). The overall between-study variability showed significant heterogeneity (I2 = 97.41%, P<0.001). Conclusions. Our results showed that Tanzania is a country with moderately high HBV endemicity, with large interregional differences and significantly high numbers of HBV infections within the community. This underscores the need for immediate development of targeted prevention strategies and further epidemiological studies to better understand the pattern of the disease.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/4178240
spellingShingle Semvua B. Kilonzo
Igembe Nkandala
Ladius Rudovick
Hyasinta M. Jaka
Mariam M. Mirambo
Stephen E. Mshana
Violet D. Kajogoo
Elichilia R. Shao
Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Tanzania: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Journal of Tropical Medicine
title Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Tanzania: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
title_full Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Tanzania: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
title_fullStr Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Tanzania: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Tanzania: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
title_short Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Tanzania: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
title_sort prevalence of hepatitis b virus infection in tanzania a systematic review and meta analysis
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/4178240
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