Clinical outcomes and economic burden of bacterial meningitis in Africa: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Bacterial meningitis remains a significant global public health concern and poses a substantial burden in Africa, including clinical and associated economic burden. This review aims to evaluate clinical outcomes and summarise the economic burden of bacterial meningitis across African countries. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. Three databases(PubMed, Scopus and ERIC) will be searched with an additional citation search. Studies conducted in Africa reporting clinical and/or economic burden from 2008 to March 2026 will be included. Reviews, case studies and conference proceedings will be excluded. Methodological quality will be assessed using the Consensus-Based Cost-of-Illness Checklist and Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools based on the type of studies. Two independent reviewers will conduct study screening and data extraction. Data will be synthesised using descriptive, narative and meta-analyses, with subgroup and sensitivity analyses where appropriate. Findings will be presented using tables, figures and geographic mapping. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: As this study will use publicly available data from published literature, ethical approval is not required. The findings will be disseminated through presentation at scientific conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals.