Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 28, 2025
Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children
Published on: August 22, 2012
Estimation of the burden of tinea capitis among children in Africa
Felix Bongomin1, Ronald Olum2, Lauryn Nsenga3
1Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda.
Insights
Tinea capitis affects approximately 23% of African children, totaling over 138 million cases. This common fungal infection, particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, requires urgent public health attention.
Area of Science:
- Medical Mycology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Tinea capitis is a prevalent fungal infection in African children.
- The exact burden of tinea capitis in Africa remains largely unquantified.
- This study addresses the knowledge gap regarding the disease's prevalence and impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the burden of tinea capitis in children under 18 years old across Africa.
- To provide precise data for informing public health interventions.
- To highlight tinea capitis as a significant neglected tropical disease.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of studies published between 1990 and 2020 from Embase, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library.
- Inclusion of 40 studies encompassing 229,086 children from 17 African countries.
- Utilized UN population data (2019) to calculate the number of at-risk children and disease burden.
Main Results:
- A pooled prevalence of 23% (95% CI, 17%-29%) was found, primarily caused by Trichophyton species.
- An estimated 138.1 million cases (95% CI, 102.0-174.1 million) of tinea capitis in children across Africa.
- Over 96% of cases are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigeria and Ethiopia having the highest numbers.
Conclusions:
- Tinea capitis is a major public health concern, affecting roughly one in five children in Africa.
- Clinical diagnosis shows significant discrepancies with mycological findings.
- Accurate burden quantification is crucial for effective clinical and public health strategies against this neglected disease.
Abstract:
Tinea capitis is a common and endemic dermatophytosis among school age children in Africa. However, the true burden of the disease is unknown in Africa. We aimed to estimate the burden of tinea capitis among children <18 years of age in Africa. A systematic review was performed using Embase, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews to identify articles on tinea capitis among children in Africa published between January 1990 and October 2020. The United Nation's Population data (2019) were used to identify the number of children at risk of tinea capitis in each African country. Using the pooled prevalence, the country-specific and total burden of tinea capitis was calculated. Forty studies involving a total of 229,086 children from 17/54 African countries were identified and included in the analysis. The pooled prevalence of tinea capitis was 23% (95% CI, 17%-29%) mostly caused by Trichophyton species. With a population of 600 million (46%) children, the total number of cases of tinea capitis in Africa was estimated at 138.1 (95% CI, 102.0-174.1) million cases. Over 96% (132.6 million) cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa alone. Nigeria and Ethiopia with the highest population of children contributed 16.4% (n = 98.7 million) and 8.5% (n = 52.2 million) of cases, respectively. Majority of the participants were primary school children with a mean age of 10 years. Cases are mostly diagnosed clinically. There was a large discrepancy between the clinical and mycological diagnosis. About one in every five children in Africa has tinea capitis making it one of the most common childhood conditions in the region. A precise quantification of the burden of this neglected tropical disease is required to inform clinical and public health intervention strategies.
