SynthesisBMC infectious diseases2018
Epidemiology of hepatitis B, C and D in Malawi: systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC infectious diseases, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Acceptability of HBV, HCV, and HIV screening among injured patients presenting to the adult emergency department in Blantyre, Malawi.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Epidemiology of hepatitis B and C viruses among pregnant women at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), Blantyre Malawi.Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi · 2025Article
- Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B among health facility staff in Salima district, Malawi - a cross-sectional study.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Point-of-care ultrasound to inform antiviral treatment initiation in chronic hepatitis B virus infection in low-resource settings - the PUSH protocol.The ultrasound journal · 2024Article
- A Cardiac Tumor and Liver Masses on Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS): Implications in a Resource-Limited Setting.POCUS journal · 2024Article
- Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Tanzania: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of tropical medicine · 2024Article
- Analysis of Hepatitis D Virus in Minor Salivary Gland of Sjögren's Disease.Journal of dental research · 2023Article
- Hepatitis B Vaccination Impact and the Unmet Need for Antiviral Treatment in Blantyre, Malawi.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2022Article
- Hepatitis Delta: Current Knowledge and Future Directions.Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2022Article
- Prevalence and geo-clinicodemographic factors associated with hepatitis B vaccination among healthcare workers in five developing countries.BMC infectious diseases · 2022Article
- A clinical and molecular epidemiological survey of hepatitis C in Blantyre, Malawi, suggests a historic mechanism of transmission.Journal of viral hepatitis · 2022Article
- HIV-exposed infants with EBV infection have a reduced persistence of the immune response to the HBV vaccine.AIDS research and therapy · 2021Article
- Hepatitis B virus infection among men who have sex with men and transgender women living with or at risk for HIV: a cross sectional study in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria.BMC infectious diseases · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundViral hepatitis is an important public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Due to rising mortality from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and limited implementation of screening and treatment programmes, it has been characterised as a neglected tropical disease. Synthesis of the existing evidence on the epidemiology of viral hepatitis B, C and D in Malawi is required to inform policy and identify research gaps.
methodsWe searched Pubmed, EMBASE and Scopus for studies reporting the epidemiology of viral hepatitis B, C and D in Malawi from 1990 to 2018. Articles reporting prevalence estimates were included provided they described details of participant selection, inclusion criteria and laboratory methods (detection of HBsAg, anti-HCV or anti-HDV antibody, HCV antigen or HCV RNA or HDV RNA). We assessed study quality using a prevalence assessment tool. Where appropriate, a pooled prevalence was calculated using a DerSimonian Laird random effects model.
resultsSearches identified 199 studies, 95 full text articles were reviewed and 19 articles were included. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroprevalence was assessed in 14 general population cohorts. The pooled prevalence among adults was 8.1% (95% CI 6.1, 10.3). In 3 studies where HBsAg was stratified by HIV status, no effect of HIV on HBsAg prevalence was observed (OR 1.2 (95% CI: 0.8, 1.6, p = 0.80)). In a single study of HIV/HBV infected individuals, anti-hepatitis D antibody (anti-HDV) prevalence was low (1.5%). HCV antibody prevalence (anti-HCV) ranged from 0.7 to 18.0% among 12 cohorts in general populations. Among three studies which used PCR to confirm current infection, the pooled rate of HCV RNA confirmation among anti-HCV positive individuals was only 7.3% (95% CI: 0.0, 24.3).
conclusionsHepatitis B is highly prevalent in Malawi. There is a paucity of epidemiological data from rural areas where 85% of the population reside, and the Northern region. Priority research needs include large-scale representative community studies of HBV, HDV and HCV seroprevalence, assessment of children following introduction of the HBV vaccine in 2002, prevalence estimates of viral hepatitis among individuals with cirrhosis and HCC and data on HCV prevalence using PCR confirmation, to support a viral hepatitis strategy for Malawi.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.