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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Virol.
Sec. Virus and Host Immunity
Volume 4 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fviro.2024.1479645
This article is part of the Research Topic Innate and Adaptive/Innate Immune Responses to Viral Infection View all 6 articles

Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM, and IgG and COVID-19 vaccine uptake in healthy volunteers in Nairobi, Kenya: A cross-sectional study

Provisionally accepted
Agnes M. Otindo Agnes M. Otindo 1Eric M. Ndombi Eric M. Ndombi 2,3*Martin Theuri Martin Theuri 1Margaret Muturi Margaret Muturi 2Peris Thamaini Peris Thamaini 4James Ogutu James Ogutu 3Lister Onsongo Lister Onsongo 5June Madete June Madete 6Victor Ofula Victor Ofula 7Samuel Gitau Samuel Gitau 8Gladys Mwangi Gladys Mwangi 8Paul Okemo Paul Okemo 9
  • 1 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
  • 2 Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
  • 3 Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
  • 4 Department of Human Pathology, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
  • 5 Department of Community and Reproductive Health Nursing, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
  • 6 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
  • 7 Centre for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya
  • 8 Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
  • 9 Department of Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Seroprevalence of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (anti-SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in the postvaccination period in Kenya remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG and evaluate Covid-19 vaccination uptake in a university setting in Nairobi. This cross-sectional study assayed serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. A structured questionnaire was used to determine vaccine uptake, vaccine hesitancy and reasons for hesitancy. A total of 189 participants were enrolled (median age, 21 years; female, 50.8%). The seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 was 12.7% for IgM and 87.8% for IgG. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titers were higher among the vaccinated vs. nonvaccinated individuals (p < 0.001, U = 2817.5), females vs. males (p = 0.024, U = 3616), and those vaccinated ≤ 6 months before the study vs. those vaccinated >1 year earlier (p = 0.002, H = 12.359). The vaccination hesitancy rate was 43.4% and the underlying reasons included mistrust (22.4%), health concerns (19.7%), and lack of information (18.4%). The high seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG is an indication of high exposure to SARS-CoV-2 either through natural infection or through vaccination. The high vaccine hesitancy noted necessitates community engagement, and public education to dispel myths and misinformation prior to roll out of new vaccines and other health interventions.

    Keywords: COVID-19, Hesitancy, IgG, IgM, Mistrust, SARS-CoV-2, seroprevalence, Vaccination

    Received: 12 Aug 2024; Accepted: 15 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Otindo, Ndombi, Theuri, Muturi, Thamaini, Ogutu, Onsongo, Madete, Ofula, Gitau, Mwangi and Okemo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Eric M. Ndombi, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

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