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Background: The incidence of oropharyngeal candidiasis among people living with human immunodeficiency virus in Africa is on the rise. Oropharyngeal candidiasis is mainly caused by C.albicans ; however, a shift in the etiology towards non- Candida albicans species is increasing. In addition, there are variations in the epidemiological distribution of Candida species causing oropharyngeal candidiasis among people living with human immunodeficiency virus in Africa., Objective: This review aimed to determine the prevalence of oropharyngeal candidiasis and the distribution of Candida species among people living with human immunodeficiency virus in Africa., Materials and Methods: This systematic review protocol was registered in the base PROSPERO database prior to its conduct (CRD42021254473). The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocol guidelines (PRISMA-P) were followed for this study. The PubMed, Scopus and EMBASE databases were searched to identify published studies published between 1 st January 2000 and 8 th October 2022. The eligible studies were included in the meta-analysis and analyzed using a random effects model. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute quality assessment tool for prevalence studies., Results: The database search yielded 370 titles from PubMed (n=192), EMBASE (n=162) and SCOPUS (n=16). Fourteen studies with a total of 3,863 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of oropharyngeal candidiasis was 49.0% (95% CI: 37% - 62%). A total of 2,688 Candida isolates were reported; approximately 76.6% (n=2,060) were C. albicans , and 21.7% (n=582) were non- C. albicans . Among the non- Candida albicans species, C . glabrata was the most common isolate (29.6%), followed by C . tropicalis (27.7%), C . krusei (17.0%), C . parapsilosis (8.1%) and C . dubliniensis (5.2%). Out of 14 studies, 7 (50.0%) had a low risk of bias, 5 (35.7%) had a moderate risk of bias, and 2 (14.3%) had a high risk of bias., Conclusion: Almost half of people living with HIV in Africa have oropharyngeal candidiasis, and C. albicans remains the most frequent cause of oropharyngeal candidiasis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing interests The author(s) declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Children exposed to severe malaria may recover with gross neurologic deficits (GND). Several risk factors for GND after cerebral malaria (CM), the deadliest form of severe malaria, have been identified in children. However, there is inconsistency between previously reported and more recent findings. Although CM patients are the most likely group to develop GND, it is not clear if other forms of severe malaria (non-CM) may also contribute to the malaria related GND. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize evidence on the prevalence and risk factors for GND in children following CM and map the changes in patterns over time. In addition, this review will synthesize evidence on the reported prevalence and risk factors of gross neurologic deficits following other forms of severe malaria., Methods: The systematic review will be conducted according to recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Protocols (PRISMA-P). Relevant research articles will be identified using relevant search terms from the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Global Index Medicus (GIM). The articles will be screened at title and abstract, then at full text for inclusion using a priori eligibility criteria. Data extraction will be done using a tool developed and optimized in Excel spreadsheet. Risk of bias assessment will be done using appropriate tools including ROBINS-E ('Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Exposure') tool, while publication bias will be assessed using funnel plot. A random-effects meta-analysis and structured narrative synthesis of the outcomes will be performed and results presented., Discussion: Findings from this systematic review will inform policy makers on planning, design and implementation of interventions targeting the treatment and rehabilitation of GND following severe malaria in children., Systematic Review Registration: The protocol is registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), registration number CRD42022297109., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interest.