Epidemiology of gonorrhea in countries of the Middle East and North Africa: systematic review, meta analyses, and meta regressions

Abstract

The epidemiology of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infection in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remains poorly understood, despite the global recognition of its disease burden and the growing concern regarding antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to systematically review the evidence on NG prevalence in MENA, estimate the pooled mean prevalence across different populations, and explore population-level associations with prevalence as well as sources of between-study heterogeneity.