Title : Seroprevalence of COVID-19 among people aged 12 and over, in a silent district, case of Zoukougbeu, Ivory Coast, April 2023

Abstract:

Introduction:
In March 2020, Ivory Coast recorded its first case of Covid-19. First, located in Abidjan, in the economic capital, the disease gradually spread within the country, affecting almost all health districts, thus testing the entire surveillance system. However, until October 2022, around 20 health districts in the interior of the country out of 113 remained without a confirmed case of Covid-19. This study was carried out with the aim of estimating the seroprevalence of Covid-19 in the Zoukougbeu health district and assessing knowledge of the disease in the population.

Methods:
A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out. This was a three-stage cluster random sampling. Included in this study were subjects aged 12 and over residing in Zoukougbeu for more than six months who agreed voluntarily and free of charge to participate in the survey. People who had received vaccination against Covid-19 and who were unable to answer the questions were excluded. Blood samples were taken and ELISA tests were carried out at the laboratory of the Institut Pasteur de Côte d’Ivoire. Approval from the National Ethics Committee for Life and Health Sciences was obtained. Measures of central tendencies, frequencies or proportions were calculated using Epi-Info 7.2.0 software.

Results:
398 people were interviewed. The female gender was in the majority in 54% (215/398) and the median age was 32 years (range: 18-75 years). The respondents had respectively a secondary (37%), primary (33%), no level (28%) and higher (2%) education level. 69% of respondents responded that they had traveled outside the Zoukougbeu department during the Covid-19 period. Almost all respondents (97%) had heard about Covid-19 through television (67%), radio (50%), social networks (13%) and health workers (10%). Among those surveyed, 46% knew the signs of Covid-19 and 89% were aware of its seriousness. 79% were of the opinion that vaccination was a means of protection against the disease. According to serological analyses, 99.23% of respondents had IgG antibodies and 6.38% had IgM positive antibodies.

Conclusion:
High seroprevalence of COVID-19 in Zoukougbeu district. Need to strengthen epidemiological surveillance and for the population to respect hygiene measures and barriers to prevent possible epidemics.