ArticlePLOS global public health2022
SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in three Kenyan health and demographic surveillance sites, December 2020-May 2021.
Article in PLOS global public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparison of capillary microsampling and venous blood for multi-pathogen serosurveillance.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Longitudinal Epidemiology and Variant Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in Coastal Kenya (2020-2025): Clinical Features and Wave Patterns.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Trends and patterns of varicella zoster virus infection in Kilifi: A population-based serosurvey.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- SARS-CoV-2 and neutralizing antibody dynamics at a remote village in Kenya before widespread COVID-19 vaccine rollout.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
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- Underlying conditions associated with adverse COVID-19 treatment outcomes in selected Kenyan hospitals, October 2020 to December 2021.Global health action · 2025Article
- Modelling the relative contribution of infection, routine vaccination and supplementary immunisation activities to measles seroconversion in Kenyan Children.PLoS computational biology · 2025Article
- Review
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- Rethinking the evidence on COVID-19 in Africa.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2025Review
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- Active vaccine safety surveillance: Experience from a prospective cohort event monitoring study of COVID-19 vaccines in Kenya.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Harmonizing population health data into OMOP common data model: a demonstration using COVID-19 sero-surveillance data from Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
- Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 virus among patients with acute febrile illness in selected sites of Ethiopia 2021-2022.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Comparative performance of the InBios SCoV-2 DetectWellcome open research · 2024Article
- Profile: The Kenya Multi-Site Serosurveillance (KEMIS) collaboration.Gates open research · 2024Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on mortality in coastal Kenya: a longitudinal open cohort study.Nature communications · 2023Article
- SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and implications for population immunity: Evidence from two Health and Demographic Surveillance System sites in Kenya, February-December 2022.Influenza and other respiratory viruses · 2023Article
- Symptom prevalence and secondary attack rate of SARS-CoV-2 in rural Kenyan households: A prospective cohort study.Influenza and other respiratory viruses · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
42 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMost of the studies that have informed the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya have relied on samples that are not representative of the general population. We conducted population-based serosurveys at three Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSSs) to determine the cumulative incidence of infection with SARS-CoV-2.
methodsWe selected random age-stratified population-based samples at HDSSs in Kisumu, Nairobi and Kilifi, in Kenya. Blood samples were collected from participants between 01 Dec 2020 and 27 May 2021. No participant had received a COVID-19 vaccine. We tested for IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein using ELISA. Locally-validated assay sensitivity and specificity were 93% (95% CI 88-96%) and 99% (95% CI 98-99.5%), respectively. We adjusted prevalence estimates using classical methods and Bayesian modelling to account for the sampling scheme and assay performance.
resultsWe recruited 2,559 individuals from the three HDSS sites, median age (IQR) 27 (10-78) years and 52% were female. Seroprevalence at all three sites rose steadily during the study period. In Kisumu, Nairobi and Kilifi, seroprevalences (95% CI) at the beginning of the study were 36.0% (28.2-44.4%), 32.4% (23.1-42.4%), and 14.5% (9.1-21%), and respectively; at the end they were 42.0% (34.7-50.0%), 50.2% (39.7-61.1%), and 24.7% (17.5-32.6%), respectively. Seroprevalence was substantially lower among children (<16 years) than among adults at all three sites (p≤0.001).
conclusionBy May 2021 in three broadly representative populations of unvaccinated individuals in Kenya, seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG was 25-50%. There was wide variation in cumulative incidence by location and age.
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