Prevalence of hepatitis C viral infection in Somalia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Background: The incidence of hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in Somalia is still of major epidemiological significance. This study aims to determine the prevalence of HCV in Somalia through a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search across five electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar) using specific keywords to address the impact of HCV in Somalia following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A meta-analysis was performed on our eligible studies using the random effect model. Results: Our search returned 15 eligible articles involving 1565 HCV cases in 88782 participants. These studies, conducted between 1992 and 2023 in Somalia provided diverse data on HCV prevalence. The overall pooled prevalence of HCV in Somalia was 3.5% (95% CI: 2.0% - 5.9%, I²=97.4%). Subgroup analyses revealed variations in prevalence across study designs, detection methods, and publication years. Notably, cross-sectional design had a higher prevalence rate (4.7%) than retrospective study designs (2.3%). The detection methods also influenced prevalence rates, PCR having the highest incidence rate (4.4%) and PCR/ELISA having the lowest estimate (2.2%). The year of publication significantly influenced the prevalence of HCV in Somalia at P<0.001. Conclusion: The study highlights the significant burden of HCV in Somalia. The findings underscore the need for targeted public health interventions and improved surveillance to manage and control HCV infection in Somalia and other African countries.