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Systematic reviews and meta-analysis for tropical medicine and health

Edited by Masahiro Hashizume and Nguyen Tien Huy.

Systematic ReviewThis special issue of Tropical Medicine and Health aims to draw attention towards tropical health problems. Two third of world’s population live in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Many of those people live in absolute poverty, surrounded by dozens of diseases. Some of which are properly tackled, while others are neglected. Tropical health encompasses a diverse group of issues related to infectious diseases (viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal infections), non-communicable diseases and malnutrition with its consequences. The magnitude of these problems is anticipated to increase with expansion to more and more countries, which could be attributed to growing number of populations with decreased resources, globalization, climatic changes, wars, collapse of control programs in some countries and the emergence of drug resistance.

Tropical health problems constitute a huge burden on developing countries, hindering the socioeconomic development, decreasing quality of life, impairing physical and cognitive development, causing adverse pregnancy outcomes, and limit adult productivity in the workforce. The burden is more aggravated in poorly resourced communities; hence the World Health Organization is committed to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases by 2030 in its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). A supporting role of the involved countries could be displayed through encouraging research on community-based health issues. However, because of the limited financial resources for surveillance of these diseases, this initiative was proposed to motivate the entangled developing countries to share in research, gather information and provide the necessary data to state the needs and combat these diseases which seems to be an achievable dream. Systematic reviews alone or coupled with meta-analysis are invited as they provide a low cost, alternative way to summarize and evaluate the findings of all relevant individual studies to improve the health of people in this region. In this regard, following topics will be covered by this special issue.

  • Systematic reviews and meta-analysis in tropical medicine and health
  • New approaches of systematic reviews and meta-analytic methodology in tropical medicine and health
  • Challenges and perspectives for systematic reviews and meta-analysis in tropical medicine and health

  1. Malaria remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally and continues to disproportionately afflict the African population. We aimed to evaluate the effect of home management of malaria interve...

    Authors: Kok Pim Kua, Shaun Wen Huey Lee and Bunchai Chongmelaxme
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2024 52:7
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Infectious diseases remain a leading cause of mortality and morbidity around the world, and those caused by bacteria are common in the East African region. In this region, trade and consumption of herbal medic...

    Authors: Abdul Walusansa, Savina Asiimwe, Hussein. M. Kafeero, Iramiot. J. Stanley, Jamilu. E. Ssenku, Jesca. L. Nakavuma and Esezah. K. Kakudidi
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2021 49:10
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Cryptosporidiosis is an acute and short-term infection which can lead to severe diarrhea (intestinal cryptosporidiosis) associated with a persistent cough in the host with immune system defect. This systematic...

    Authors: Mousa Motavalli Haghi, Zohreh Khorshidvand, Salman Khazaei, Faezeh Foroughi-Parvar, Hossein Sarmadian, Nastaran Barati, Fariborz Etemadifar and Reza Ghasemikhah
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2020 48:97
    Content type: Review Published on:

  4. COVID-19 is an emerging disease caused by highly contagious virus called SARS-CoV-2. It caused an extensive health and economic burden around the globe. There is no proven effective treatment yet, except certa...

    Authors: Tadele Girum, Kifle Lentiro, Mulugeta Geremew, Biru Migora and Sisay Shewamare
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2020 48:91
    Content type: Review Published on:

  5. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of the most important global health problems. More than one and half million of children are living with HIV in the world, and majority of them are found in sub-Sahara...

    Authors: Amare Belachew, Tilahun Tewabe and Gizat Abinet Malede
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2020 48:85
    Content type: Review Published on:

  6. Esophageal candidiasis (OC) is a common AIDS-defining opportunistic infection. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces the occurrence of OC and other opportunistic infections among persons living with HIV (PLHIV)...

    Authors: Ronald Olum, Joseph Baruch Baluku, Ronald Okidi, Irene Andia-Biraro and Felix Bongomin
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2020 48:82
    Content type: Review Published on:

  7. Even though there are advancements in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment approach, HIV continues to be a global challenge. Pediatrics HIV is one of the challenges in the reduction of child mortality particularl...

    Authors: Chalachew Adugna Wubneh and Getaneh Mulualem Belay
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2020 48:80
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Different primary studies in Ethiopia showed the burden of nosocomial infection across geographical setting and variant period. However, the national level of burden and types of healthcare-associated infectio...

    Authors: Abebaw Yeshambel Alemu, Aklilu Endalamaw and Wubet Alebachew Bayih
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2020 48:77
    Content type: Review Published on:

  9. Microsporidiosis is an emerging zoonotic disease that is considered a global public health concern. Dogs are suggested as one of potential reservoirs for transmitting the microsporidia infection to humans. How...

    Authors: Ali Taghipour, Saeed Bahadory and Sasan Khazaei
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2020 48:75
    Content type: Review Published on:

  10. Many studies on the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) using herbal medicines have been undertaken in recent decades in East Africa. The details, however, are highly fragmented. The purpose of this study was to pr...

    Authors: Samuel Baker Obakiro, Ambrose Kiprop, Isaac Kowino, Elizabeth Kigondu, Mark Peter Odero, Timothy Omara and Lydia Bunalema
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2020 48:68
    Content type: Review Published on:

  11. Among the genetic elements, integrons may contribute to the widespread incidence and spreading of antibiotic resistance among Escherichia coli isolates. Accordingly, this review aims to investigate the prevalence...

    Authors: Maryam Karimi Dehkordi, Mehrdad Halaji and Samereh Nouri
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2020 48:16
    Content type: Research Published on:

  13. The massive abundance of studies relating to tropical medicine and health has increased strikingly over the last few decades. In the field of tropical medicine and health, a well-conducted systematic review an...

    Authors: Gehad Mohamed Tawfik, Kadek Agus Surya Dila, Muawia Yousif Fadlelmola Mohamed, Dao Ngoc Hien Tam, Nguyen Dang Kien, Ali Mahmoud Ahmed and Nguyen Tien Huy
    Citation: Tropical Medicine and Health 2019 47:46
    Content type: Review Published on: