A decade of dengue disease burden in Africa (2013-2023): a systematic review

Dengue is a major mosquito-borne disease worldwide. The epidemiological trends of the disease in Africa over the past decade remain unclear. This review aims to provide insight into the epidemiological trends of dengue in Africa from 2013 to 2023.

We systematically searched PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus for studies published between January 2013 and December 2023. Additionally, we collected official records from the World Health Organization for Africa and African Centre for Disease Control. We included studies that reported dengue cases in humans in Africa and excluded publications prior to 2013, review articles and non-human studies. For specific countries, the suspected cases per 100,000 population and fatality rates were estimated and the trend predicted using a negative binomial model. The statistical analyses and visualisations were performed using R programming.

Of the 453 reports screened, 87 from 25 African countries were selected for systematic review. Of which 55.2 % (48/87) were indicator-based, 40.2 % (35/87) research and 4.6 % (4/87) event-based reports. Between 2013 and 2023, approximately 200,000 suspected dengue cases, 90,000 confirmed cases and 900 deaths were reported in Africa. Over 80 % of confirmed cases originated from West Africa, with Burkina Faso reporting over 500 cases per 100,000 population. DENV1 and DENV2 predominated at different times with transmission closely linked to rainy seasons.

The rising dengue cases across Africa, highlight the need to strengthen surveillance and implement effective regional-specific interventions against future dengue outbreaks. Further research is necessary to improve our understanding on dengue transmission dynamics and suitability of regions in Africa.