Bacteriological and physico-chemical quality of drinking water sources in a rural community of Ethiopia

Background: Accesses to safe water is a universal need however, many of the world’s population lack access to adequate and safe water. Consumption of water contaminated causes health risk to the public and the situation is serous in rural areas.Objectives: To assess the bacteriological and physico-chemical quality of drinking water sources in a rural community of Ethiopia.Methods: Water samples were collected from tap, open springs, open dug wells and protected springs for bacteriological analysis of total coliforms and thermotolerant coliforms. The turbidity, pH and temperature were measured immediately after collection.Results: Most drinking water sources were found to have coliform counts above the recommended national and international guidelines and had high sanitary risk scores. There was a statistically significant difference among water sources with respect to TC and TTC (p < 0.05) and there was a statistically significant positive correlation between coliform counts and sanitary risk scores (p < 0.01). Most water sources didn’t satisfy the turbidity values recommended by WHO.Conclusion: The water sources were heavily contaminated which suggested poor protection and sanitation practice in the water sources. Source protection strategies as well as monitoring are recommend for this community.Keywords: Coliforms; physico-chemical; rural community; water qualityAfrican Health Sciences 2013; 13(4): 1156- 116

Prescribing indicators at primary health care centers within the WHO African region: a systematic analysis (1995-2015)

Abstract Background Rational medicine use is essential to optimize quality of healthcare delivery and resource utilization. We aim to conduct a systematic review of changes in prescribing patterns in the WHO African region and comparison with WHO indicators in two time periods 1995–2005 and 2006–2015. Methods Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of science, Africa-Wide Nipad, Africa Journals Online (AJOL), Google scholar and International Network for Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD) Bibliography databases to identify primary studies reporting prescribing indicators at primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Africa. This was supplemented by a manual search of retrieved references. We assessed the quality of studies using a 14-point scoring system modified from the Downs and Black checklist with inclusions of recommendations in the WHO guidelines. Results Forty-three studies conducted in 11 African countries were included in the overall analysis. These studies presented prescribing indicators based on a total 141,323 patient encounters across 572 primary care facilities. The results of prescribing indicators were determined as follows; average number of medicines prescribed per patient encounter = 3.1 (IQR 2.3–4.8), percentage of medicines prescribed by generic name =68.0 % (IQR 55.4–80.3), Percentage of encounters with antibiotic prescribed =46.8 % (IQR 33.7–62.8), percentage of encounters with injection prescribed =25.0 % (IQR 18.7–39.5) and the percentage of medicines prescribed from essential medicines list =88.0 % (IQR 76.3–94.1). Prescribing indicators were generally worse in private compared with public facilities. Analysis of prescribing across two time points 1995–2005 and 2006–2015 showed no consistent trends. Conclusions Prescribing indicators for the African region deviate significantly from the WHO reference targets. Increased collaborative efforts are urgently needed to improve medicine prescribing practices in Africa with the aim of enhancing the optimal utilization of scarce resources and averting negative health consequences

Multidimensional disparity in inadequate minimum dietary diversity between poor and non-poor children aged 6–23 months in Sub-Saharan Africa: a multivariate decomposition analysis

BackgroundSustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 aims to “end hunger, achieve food security, and improve nutrition” by 2030. However, the prevalence of inadequate Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) is on the rise in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Therefore, this study aimed to assess the disparities between multidimensional poor and non-poor households in terms of inadequate MDD among children aged 6 to 23 months in SSA, using data from the 2018–2023 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS).MethodsThe study utilized data from a nationally representative weighted sample of 352,463 children aged 6 to 23 months, drawn from the latest rounds of the DHS in 18 SSA countries. A decomposition analysis was performed to assess the disparity in inadequate MDD between multidimensionally poor and non-poor Households. This analysis divided the disparity into two components: one related to differences in the levels of determinants (endowments) between the poor and non-poor, and the other concerning variations in the effects of the covariates.ResultsThe overall prevalence of inadequate MDD among children in SSA was 89.05%. This prevalence was highest in Central Africa at 90.55% and lowest in South Africa at 87.8%. The difference in inadequate MDD between multidimensional poor and non-poor children was highest in East Africa at 6.15%, which was statistically significant. Factors such as women’s education, husband’s educational status, the employment status of both parents, household wealth index, place of residence, family size, and the number of children significantly contributed to the disparity in inadequate MDD among children from multidimensional poor and non-poor households in SSA.ConclusionThe study highlights a concerningly high prevalence of inadequate MDD among children in SSA, with significant disparities observed between multidimensionally poor and non-poor households. The largest gap in inadequate MDD between poor and non-poor households was found in East Africa. Key factors contributing to these disparities include women’s education, husband’s educational status, the employment status of both parents, household wealth index, place of residence (urban vs. rural), family size, and the number of children. The findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to address inadequate MDD among young children in SSA. Efforts should focus on reducing poverty, improving maternal education, and enhancing employment opportunities, particularly for women, by promoting equitable economic prospects. Addressing these underlying factors is essential to closing the gap in dietary diversity and improving the nutritional outcomes of children in the region

Antibody Levels in Ethiopian Children Five Years after Vaccination with Two Different Doses of Hepatitis B Vaccine: Is There a Need for Booster Vaccine?

It was hypothesized that, following effective initial vaccination, a booster dose of hepatitis B vaccine will not be necessary in areas of hyperendemicity for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. A total of 314 Ethiopian children, ranging from two to 14 years old, were alternatively vaccinated with 10 and 20 µg hepatitis B vaccine doses, using the initial, one- and six-month schedule. Five years later, 210 of the vaccinees were retested for anti-HBV surface antibody titres. Both 10 and 20 µg doses of hepatitis B rDNA yeast vaccine were equally immunogenic and protective against HBV infection for at least five years despite marked reduction of mean antibody levels and geometric mean titres, with 11% of the vaccinees showing antibodies below the protective level. For firm further recommendations a longer follow-up period of vaccinees is suggested.</jats:p

Secondary crystalline phases identification in Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films: contributions from Raman scattering and photoluminescence

In this work, we present the Raman peak positions of the quaternary pure selenide compound Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) and related secondary phases that were grown and studied under the same conditions. A vast discussion about the position of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) reflections of these compounds is presented. It is known that by using XRD only, CZTSe can be identified but nothing can be said about the presence of some secondary phases. Thin films of CZTSe, Cu2SnSe3, ZnSe, SnSe, SnSe2, MoSe2 and a-Se were grown, which allowed their investigation by Raman spectroscopy (RS). Here we present all the Raman spectra of these phases and discuss the similarities with the spectra of CZTSe. The effective analysis depth for the common back-scattering geometry commonly used in RS measurements, as well as the laser penetration depth for photoluminescence (PL) were estimated for different wavelength values. The observed asymmetric PL band on a CZTSe film is compatible with the presence of CZTSe single-phase and is discussed in the scope of the fluctuating potentials’ model. The estimated bandgap energy is close to the values obtained from absorption measurements. In general, the phase identification of CZTSe benefits from the contributions of RS and PL along with the XRD discussion.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Insights into the Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria in Ghana: the role of caregivers and licensed chemical sellers in four regions

BACKGROUND: The Affordable Medicine Facility-malaria (AMFm) was an innovative global financing mechanism for the provision of quality-assured artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) across both the private and public health sectors in eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This study evaluated the effectiveness of AMFm subsidies in increasing access to ACT in Ghana and documented malaria management practices at the household and community levels during the implementation of the AMFm. METHODS: This study, conducted in four regions in Ghana between January, 2011 to December, 2012, employed cross-sectional mixed-methods design that included qualitative and quantitative elements, specifically household surveys, focus group discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews. RESULTS: The study indicated high ACT availability, adequate provider knowledge and reasonably low quality-assured ACT use in the study areas, all of which are a reflection of a high market share of ACT in these hard-to-reach areas of the country. Adequate recognition of childhood malaria symptoms by licensed chemical seller (LCS) attendants was observed. A preference by caregivers for LCS over health facilities for seeking treatment solutions to childhood malaria was found. CONCLUSIONS: Artemisinin-based combination therapy with the AMFm logo was accessible and affordable for most people seeking treatment from health facilities and LCS shops in rural areas. Caregivers and LCS were seen to play key roles in the health of the community especially with children under 5 years of age