Deakin University
Browse

Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection among Pregnant Women in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Download (1.11 MB)
journal contribution
posted on 2024-07-18, 02:08 authored by Birye Dessalegn MekonnenBirye Dessalegn Mekonnen
Background. Hepatitis C virus infection during pregnancy is associated with a high risk of maternal complications and poor birth outcomes. There are variable reports on the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among pregnant women in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aims to estimate the pooled prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among pregnant women in Ethiopia. Methods. A comprehensive search of electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Sciences, and Google Scholar was conducted from April 03, 2020, to May 03, 2020. The quality of included article was evaluated by the JBI. Heterogeneity between the studies was assessed using Cochrane Q and I2 test. The presence of publication bias was tested by funnel plots and Egger’s test. A random-effects meta-analysis was computed to determine the pooled prevalence of HCV infection among pregnant women. Results. Of 502 studies, 6 studies with a total of 2117 pregnant women were included in the meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among pregnant women in Ethiopia was 1.83% (95% CI: 0.61, 3.06). Besides, subgroup analysis revealed that the highest HCV prevalence among pregnant women was observed in Oromia region, 5.10% (95% CI: −0.53, 10.73). Conclusions. This study shows an intermediate level of HCV infection among pregnant women in Ethiopia. The finding suggests the need of implementing a routine hepatitis C virus screening program for all pregnant women, which enables women to access HCV antiviral treatment to minimize vertical transmission to the newborn infants. Moreover, national and regional health programs should mandate and monitor the screening procedures so as to reduce the risk of hepatitis C virus infection.

History

Journal

Advances in Preventive Medicine

Volume

2021

Pagination

1-8

Location

Cairo, Egypt

Open access

  • Yes

ISSN

2090-3480

eISSN

2090-3499

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Editor/Contributor(s)

Guillen Nieto GE

Publisher

Hindawi

Usage metrics

    Research Publications

    Licence

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC