Multicountry study of SARS-CoV-2 and associated risk factors among healthcare workers in Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and South Africa

• Published in: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 117; no. 3; pp. 179 - 188
• Main Authors: Kribi, Sarah, Touré, Fidèle, Mendes, Adriano, Sanou, Soufiane, Some, Arsène, Aminou, Abdoul M, Belarbi, Essia, Griessel, Rosemary, Hema, Arsène, Kabore, Firmin, Pitzinger, Paul, Strydom, Amy, Vietor, Ann Christin, Traoré, Korotimi, Zongo, Arsène, Anoh, Etilé A, Grossegesse, Marica, Hofmann, Natalie, Ouangraoua, Soumeya, Poda, Armel, Kagone, Thérèse, Schubert, Grit, Eckmanns, Tim, Venter, Marietjie, Leendertz, Fabian, Akoua-Koffi, Chantal, Tomczyk, Sara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-03-2023
• Subjects: Burkina Faso; Cote d'Ivoire; COVID-19; Female; Health Personnel; Humans; Male; SARS-CoV-2; Seroepidemiologic Studies; South Africa; South Africa; Burkina Faso; Cote d'Ivoire; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; infection prevention and control; healthcare workers; Africa; serology
• ISSN: 0035-9203; 1878-3503
• DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trac089

Reports on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread across Africa have varied, including among healthcare workers (HCWs). This study assessed the comparative SARS-CoV-2 burden and associated risk factors among HCWs in three African countries.
A multicentre study was conducted at regional healthcare facilities in Côte d'Ivoire (CIV), Burkina Faso (BF) and South Africa (SA) from February to May 2021. HCWs provided blood samples for SARS-CoV-2 serology and nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs for testing of acute infection by polymerase chain reaction and completed a questionnaire. Factors associated with seropositivity were assessed with logistic regression.
Among 719 HCWs, SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 34.6% (95% confidence interval 31.2 to 38.2), ranging from 19.2% in CIV to 45.7% in BF. A total of 20 of 523 (3.8%) were positive for acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Female HCWs had higher odds of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity compared with males, and nursing staff, allied health professionals, non-caregiver personnel and administration had higher odds compared with physicians. HCWs also reported infection prevention and control (IPC) gaps, including 38.7% and 29% having access to respirators and IPC training, respectively, in the last year.
This study was a unique comparative HCW SARS-CoV-2 investigation in Africa. Seroprevalence estimates varied, highlighting distinctive population/facility-level factors affecting COVID-19 burden and the importance of established IPC programmes to protect HCWs and patients.