Effectiveness of public health interventions in reducing the prevalence of <i>Opisthorchis viverrini</i>: a protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Abstract

The carcinogenic liver fluke <i>Opisthorchis viverrini</i> is a major public health problem in the Mekong basin region. The liver flukes can induce cholangiocarcinoma, a bile duct cancer that causes a significant burden of mortality and economic loss. Various public health interventions have been conducted to reduce opisthorchiasis but the prevalence of <i>O. viverrini</i> remains high in endemic regions. The aim is to quantify the effectiveness of public health interventions in reducing the prevalence of <i>O. viverrini</i> infection. Seven databases (including PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Thai thesis database and TCI (Thai journals online)) will be searched from initiation through to 2022 to identify studies of interventions to reduce the prevalence of <i>O. viverrini</i> infection. The prevalence, incidence or number of <i>O. viverrini</i>-infected people will be used as the source of <i>O. viverrini</i> prevalence data. A conventional meta-analysis and a Bayesian network meta-analysis will be conducted to undertake direct and indirect comparisons of different interventions. Meta-regression will be used to determine the effect of each intervention. The risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool. Heterogeneity between studies will be determined by forest plots and I² and publication bias investigated with funnel plots and the Egger's test. Ethical approval will not be required because this study will only use published data. The final report of this review will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and will also be presented at relevant conferences. CRD42022323066.