Prevalence and incidence of zoonotic diseases in South Asia: a systematic review protocol.

Objective: This review aims to estimate the prevalence and incidence of zoonotic diseases from studies of populations from South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka).

Introduction: South Asia is of notable importance in terms of the prevalence and incidence of endemic zoonoses, as well as its role as a focal point for emerging zoonotic diseases.

Inclusion Criteria: All populations residing in the 8 South Asian countries, irrespective of age/gender, will be considered. Primary outcomes will include studies estimating the prevalence and incidence of zoonotic diseases in South Asia. Secondary outcomes will include the burden of zoonotic diseases, including emergence and re-emergence.

Methods: Databases including MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Ovid), Scopus, and Web of Science, as well as government websites, reports of multilateral agencies, and gray literature will be searched. Titles/abstracts, full screening, and critical appraisal of included studies will be conducted by 2 independent reviewers with adjudication by a third author. JBI guidelines for prevalence and incidence studies will be used to extract data from included studies. Critical appraisal of included studies will be conducted using the standard JBI checklists. Where feasible, statistical meta-analysis will be conducted to report the proportional representation related to prevalence and incidence using forest plots, along with the 95% CI. Publication bias will be assessed using Egger's test and funnel plots, if possible. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis will be conducted using standard methods. Where statistical pooling is not possible, tables and figures will be used to present the results in a narrative synthesis.

Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD42023450289.