Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36590788›Full record

ArticleEClinicalMedicine2023

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in children worldwide: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Reza Naeimi, Mahdi Sepidarkish, Abolfazl Mollalo, Hamid Parsa, Sanaz Mahjour, Fatemeh Safarpour, Mustafa Almukhtar, Amal Mechaal, Hiam Chemaitelly, Behnam Sartip and 5 more

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Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
47citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

47 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Reza NaeimiInfectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
Mahdi SepidarkishDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
Abolfazl MollaloDepartment of Public Health and Prevention Science, School of Health Sciences, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH, USA.
Hamid ParsaDepartment of Neurology, University of Visayas, Gullas College of Medicine, Cebu City, 600 Cebu, Philippines.
Sanaz MahjourDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
Fatemeh SafarpourInfectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
Mustafa AlmukhtarHarlem Medical Center, IL, USA.
Amal MechaalDivision of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, USA.
Hiam ChemaitellyInfectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Cornell University, Doha, Qatar.
Behnam SartipDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
Elika MarhoommirzabakDepartment of Neurology, University of Visayas, Gullas College of Medicine, Cebu City, 600 Cebu, Philippines.
Ali ArdekaniHealth Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Peter J HotezTexas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Robin B GasserDepartment of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Ali RostamiInfectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The higher hospitalisation rates of those aged 0-19 years (referred to herein as 'children') observed since the emergence of the immune-evasive SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and subvariants, along with the persisting vaccination disparities highlighted a need for in-depth knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 sero-epidemiology in children. Here, we conducted this systematic review to assess SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and determinants in children worldwide. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis study, we searched international and preprinted scientific databases from December 1, 2019 to July 10, 2022. Pooled seroprevalences were estimated according to World Health Organization (WHO) regions (at 95% confidence intervals, CIs) using random-effects meta-analyses. Associations with SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and sources of heterogeneity were investigated using sub-group and meta-regression analyses. The protocol used in this study has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022350833). Findings: We included 247 studies involving 757,075 children from 70 countries. Seroprevalence estimates varied from 7.3% (5.8-9.1%) in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to 37.6% (18.1-59.4%) in the fifth wave and 56.6% (52.8-60.5%) in the sixth wave. The highest seroprevalences in different pandemic waves were estimated for South-East Asia (17.9-81.8%) and African (17.2-66.1%) regions; while the lowest seroprevalence was estimated for the Western Pacific region (0.01-1.01%). Seroprevalence estimates were higher in children at older ages, in those living in underprivileged countries or regions, and in those of minority ethnic backgrounds. Interpretation: Our findings indicate that, by the end of 2021 and before the Omicron wave, around 50-70% of children globally were still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, clearly emphasising the need for more effective vaccines and better vaccination coverage among children and adolescents, particularly in developing countries and minority ethnic groups. Funding: None.

Indexed as

ChildrenCOVID-19Meta-analysisSARS-CoV-2SeroprevalenceSerum antibodies

Identifiers

PMID36590788
PMCPMC9795163

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.