Trauma in Ethiopia Revisited: A systematic Review

Background: This is a systematic review on trauma/injury incidents which has tried to examine the variety of socio-demographic, vehicular,  environmental, and behavioral factors that are associated with injury and its outcome across different settings.Data Sources: Electronic searches for trauma/injuries from peer-reviewed literature and websites from 1960 to August 2013.Study Selection: 36 studies met the study inclusion criteria.Data Extraction: A systematic narrative summary was conducted that included study design, methodology, risk factors, and other study variables.Results: A higher proportion of injury was found in economically active age groups of 15-59 years (Range 56.4 %–80%) across all studies. Similarly majority of the articles reported a higher proportion (Mostly 2/3rd) of injuries among male than female patients (range 53.9 %-91.2 %). Eventhough in all studies injuries were a concern for every population, some studies [12, 13, 15, and, 29] showed a higher incidence among farmers, students and house wife that other occupation. Unintentional injuries were the primary cause for the majority of injury-related reports made withthe weighted pool average percentage of 60.7% (range from 44.6 %11 to 98%20). MVIs were the leading cause of injury among lists of unintentional injuries followed by Falls (16%) machine/tools injury (5.9%), burn (5.3%), poisoning (1.0%) and Animal bite (1.3%). Trauma from interpersonalviolence (Homicide) is the leading causes of intentional injury (24.4%) reported followed by disproportionately low incidence of Fire arm(5%) and Self-harm injuries( 2.1%). Nine of the 36 articles reported percentage distribution of Mortality by Mechanism of injury and the rates of deathfrom MVIs and homicide are generally higher with an average weighted pool percentage of 37.5% and 24.1% respectively.Conclusion: The review showed injury as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia. Based on the available data, possible strategies relating to trauma prevention are discussed. Because of the uncertainties about the quality and the absence of some data in certain region of Ethiopia, we recommend a need to more accurately define this burden at a national scale.Key words: Trauma, Injury, Accident, Ethiopi

Analyzing the emerging patterns of SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron subvariants for the development of next‐gen vaccine: An observational study

Abstract Background and Aim Understanding the prevalence and impact of SARS‐CoV‐2 variants has assumed paramount importance. This study statistically analyzed to effectively track the emergence and spread of the variants and highlights the importance of such investigations in developing potential next‐gen vaccine to combat the continuously emerging Omicron subvariants. Methods Transmission fitness advantage and effective reproductive number (Re) of epidemiologically relevant SARS‐CoV‐2 sublineages through time during the study period based on the GISAID data were estimated. Results The analyses covered the period from January to June 2023 around an array of sequenced samples. The dominance of the XBB variant strain, accounting for approximately 57.63% of the cases, was identified during the timeframe. XBB.1.5 exhibited 37.95% prevalence rate from March to June 2023. Multiple variants showed considerable global influence throughout the study, as sporadically documented. Notably, the XBB variant demonstrated an estimated relative 28% weekly growth advantage compared with others. Numerous variants were resistant to the over‐the‐counter vaccines and breakthrough infections were reported. Similarly, the efficacy of mAB‐based therapy appeared limited. However, it's important to underscore the perceived benefits of these preventive and therapeutic measures were restricted to specific variants. Conclusion Given the observed trends, a comprehensive next‐gen vaccine coupled with an advanced vaccination strategy could be a potential panacea in the fight against the pandemic. The findings suggest that targeted vaccine development could be an effective strategy to prevent infections. The study also highlights the need of global collaborations to rapidly develop and distribute the vaccines to ensure global human health

The neglected continuously emerging Marburg virus disease in Africa: A global public health threat

Abstract Background and Aim Severe viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) is caused by Marburg virus which is a member of the Filoviridae (filovirus) family. Many Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreaks are reported in five decades. A major notable outbreak with substantial reported cases of infections and deaths was in 2022 in Uganda. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported MVD outbreak in Ghana in July 2022 following the detection of two probable VHF patients there. Further, the virus was reported from two other African countries, the Equatorial Guinea (February 2023) and Tanzania (March 2023). There have been 35 deaths out of 40 reported cases in Equatorial Guinea, and six of the nine confirmed cases in Tanzania so far. Methods Data particularly on the several MVD outbreaks as reported from the African countries were searched on various databases including the Pubmed, Scopus, and Web‐of‐science. Also, the primary data and reports from health agencies like the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC) were evaluated and the efficacy reviewed. Results Chiroptera in general and bat species like Rousettus aegyptiacus and Hipposideros caffer in particular are natural reservoirs of the Marburg virus. MVD‐infected nonhuman primate African fruit‐bat and the MVD‐infected humans pose significant risk in human infections. Cross‐border viral transmission and its potential further international ramification concerns raise the risk of its rapid spread and a potential outbreak. Occurrence of MVD is becoming more frequent in Africa with higher case fatality rates. Effective prophylactic and therapeutic interventions to counter this deadly virus are suggested. Conclusion In the face of the lack of effective therapeutics and preventives against MVD, supportive care is the only available option which contributes to the growing concern and disease severity. In view of the preventive approaches involving effective surveillance and monitoring system following the “One Health” model is extremely beneficial to ensure a healthy world for all, this article aims at emphasizing several MVD outbreaks, epidemiology, zoonosis of the virus, current treatment strategies, risk assessments, and the mitigation strategies against MVD