Meta set error: "standard-error variable must be positive", although all values are greater than zero

[Razia Aliani]

Hello

I am conducting meta-analysis on Stata, but the data fails to meta set each time showing that standard error variable must be positive. Values of my standard error variables start from 0. I have attached the histogram of my standard error variable for reference
Metaprob1.2.gph

I used the following command:

. meta set Prevalence Prevalence_SE, studylabel(Refid) studysize(SampleSizeN_Source) eslabel (Prevalence)

And the error shows:

standard-error variable Prevalence_SE must be positive
r(459);

I would really appreciate any advice on this.

Thank you

[William Lisowski]

"Positive" means "greater than zero". If the error message meant "greater than or equal to zero" it would have used the term "non-negative".

How can a standard error of an estimated quantity be zero? That seems dubious to me, the authors of the study would be asserting that their estimate of the prevalence is perfect.

[Razia Aliani]

Very rightly identified!
That was an observation with 0 event, which should be dropped.
Thanks a lot William