SARS-CoV-2 infection in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis of standardised seroprevalence studies, from January 2020 to December 2021
BMJ Global Health·
- DOI
- 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-008793
- PMID
- 35998978
- PMCID
- PMC9402450
- OpenAlex
- W4292774342
- Study type
- Systematic review
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings suggest greater population exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in Africa than indicated by routine surveillance data, implying potential protection against severe COVID-19 disease; the heterogeneity of seroprevalence supports the need for targeted public health measures and vaccination strategies tailored to local epidemiological situations.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
This systematic review and meta-analysis estimated COVID-19 cumulative incidence in Africa by analyzing population-based seroprevalence studies to inform public health and social measures and vaccination strategies.
Study design
A systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based seroprevalence studies conducted in Africa from January 2020 to December 2021, with studies assessed for risk of bias and evaluated for alignment with WHO Unity seroprevalence protocol.
Population and setting
Seroprevalence studies across African countries and subregions, including both urban and rural geographic areas, with analysis by age groups spanning children aged 0-9 years through adults.
Main findings
SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence increased from 3.0% in April-June 2020 to 65.1% in July-September 2021; the ratio of seroprevalence to reported confirmed cases was approximately 100:1 overall, ranging from 18:1 to 954:1; seroprevalence showed substantial heterogeneity by geography, age, and subregion, with rural areas and children aged 0-9 years exhibiting lower seroprevalence.
Public-health relevance
The findings suggest greater population exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in Africa than indicated by routine surveillance data, implying potential protection against severe COVID-19 disease; the heterogeneity of seroprevalence supports the need for targeted public health measures and vaccination strategies tailored to local epidemiological situations.
Important limitations
This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata; the original paper would be required for decision-grade interpretation including full assessment of study quality, heterogeneity analysis methods, and potential publication bias.
GIDS interpretation
This systematic review and meta-analysis provides standardized seroprevalence data across multiple African studies and time periods; the documented infection-to-case ratios and subregional heterogeneity could support contextualization of seroepidemiological surveillance findings in the region.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 10 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.