Study on the Epidemiological and Financial Impacts of Clinical Lumpy Skin Disease in Selected Districts of Tigray and Afar Regional States, North Eastern Ethiopia

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is one of cattle diseases in small holder farmers and livestock industries. A study was carried out between October 2011 and February 2012 in selected districts of Afar and Tigray regional states to assess financial impacts of lumpy skin disease and benefits obtained from control interventions. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on the epidemiological variables and production losses of the disease. Purposive sampling was used to select households who experienced the LSD during the last one year in their respective herds, and willingness of the livestock owners to participate in the study. Financial estimation was done in four study districts which consist of 15 kebeles where clinical LSD affected herds were reported. A total of 267 questionnaires were administered to the herd owners which owned totally 3442 animals and out of which 379 animals were affected by LSD. The cumulative incidence and mortality rate of LSD were found to be 11% (95% CI: 0.99-12) and 2 % ( 95% CI: 1.5-2.3), respectively. The percentage of production losses associated with the disease was estimated to be 3.26%, 2.52%, and 1.2% for milk loss, draft power loss and beef loss, respectively. The production losses per head of cattle were 11USD and the net benefit of the control through annual vaccination per head was 4USD. Thus, the herd owners should use annual vaccination against LSD in order to sustain and secure their production and productivity. Keywords; Cattle, Lumpy skin disease, cumulative incidence, financial estimation, Ethiopi

Participatory Assessment of Trade Limiting Diseases of Small Ruminants in Afar’s Small Ruminants’ Export Market Chain

Participatory epidemiological study was carried out from June 2013 to June 2014 to identify most economically important trade sensitive diseases which constraints trade and to quantify and rank the major diseases along the small ruminant market chain of export of small ruminants originated from Afar pastoral community.  A retrospective case control study design was used to collect data on trade sensitive disease problems in the market chains using epidemiological techniques of semi-structured interview, disease ranking and matrix scoring. Information was collect from producers, key informants and participants in the shoat export market chains. Purposive sampling was used to select 291 producers, 12 focus groups of traders and key informants that held in four districts selected districts with their respective markets and four quarantine stations to generate information about health problems along the market chain. Collected data was coded, managed and validated in excel spread sheet. The level of agreement between informant groups was assessed using the Kendal’s coefficient of concordance (W) calculated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, 2007). About 72.2% of pastoralist offers shoat for sale to meet their urgent needs at any time during the year. Majority (51.9%) of the producers have no specific target to sale their shoat. Animal characteristics in terms of health, quality and other criteria required by importers were known only by 7.6% of the producers. Afars’ sheep are the most demanded by importers next to Somali black head but from total shoat presented for sale, sheep accounts only 20%. Majority of producers (40.9%) indicated that they present young male for sale and 28.2% of producers presented culled female shoat for sale. Pastoralist motioned PPR, Pasteurellosis, sheep pox, External parasite, Ovine Faciolosis and CCPP as most important diseases in terms of impact on livelihoods. Quarantine centers listed PPR, pasteurellosis, CCPP, sheep pox and external parasite most important disease of shoat in terms of impact on businesses. Most of the diseases motioned by quarantine centers as major diseases are also the major diseases prevailing at the producer level. Keywords: Trade sensitive, PPR, CCPP, Shoat Pox, Producer, Quarantine, key informan

Participatory Epidemiological Studies of Major Trade Constraint Diseases of Goats in Selected Districts of Afar Region

In Afar pastoral area, livelihoods depend, at least in part, on livestock. Small ruminants made by far the greatest contribution to livestock-based livelihoods in all study districts. This study was conducted to assess and analyze trade sensitive disease problems of goats of Afar pastoral community. Information was gathered from pastoralists from June 2013- June 2014. At producers’ level, 12 focus group discussion and interview with 291 pastoralists were held at the selected four districts of Afar pastoral areas. Majority of markets in Afar region performed below their capacity. About 72.2% of pastoralist offers goats for sale to meet their urgent needs at any time during the year. Majority (51.9%) of the producers have no specific target to sale their goats. Animal characteristics in terms of health, quality and other criteria required by exporters were known only by 7.6% of the producers. Afars’ sheep are the most demanded by exporters next to Somali black head but from total shoat presented for sale, sheep accounts only 20%. Majority of producers (40.9%) indicated that they present young male for sale and 28.2% of producers presented culled female shoat for sale. Pastoralist motioned PPR, Pasteurellosis, goat pox, External parasites and CCPP as most important diseases in terms of impact on livelihoods. There was no veterinarian performing pre-purchase inspection and selection for quality assurance and certification for live shoat at various points in market chain. Quarantine centers listed PPR, pasteurellosis, CCPP, goat pox and external parasites most important disease of shoat in terms of impact on businesses. Most of the diseases motioned by quarantine centers as major diseases are also the major diseases prevailing at the producer level. Keywords: Trade sensitive, PPR, CCPP, Goat Pox, Producer, Quarantine, key informant

Glycogenic control and associated factors among diabetic patients visiting Adama specialized Hospital, Oromiya, Ethiopia: A facility based cross sectional study

Introduction: Although glycaemic control is essential in diabetes management, evidences are lacking in resource limited settings. Therefore, this study was intended to assess the level of glycaemic control and associated factors among diabetic patients.Methods: The data were collected from 332 diabetic patients in Adama Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia from February to March 2012. A patient was included in the study if he/she was 15 years and above. The data were collected using structured questionnaires; a medical card review and anthropometric measurement was done by trained nurses. SPSS version 16.0 was used to analyze the data.Results: The study revealed that 180 (55.9%) of the respondents were adequately controlled their glycaemic level. The remaining were poorly controlled their glycaemic level. Poor glycaemic control was found among rural residents, type I diabetic patients, older age groups (>46 years), those who consumed alcohol and less restricted simple sugar intake, don’t adhere to their meal time and had been prescribed oral hypoglycaemic drug alone (p<0.05). On the other hand, being physically active, obtaining advice from health workers and self monitoring blood glucose level significantly helped patients to control their gylcaemic level (p<0.05).Conclusions: Significant proportions of diabetic patients were not able to control their glycaemic level and poor diabetic control was mainly found in patients with poor self care practices. Thus, health care providers should deliver individualized patient education and support those with elevated glycaemic level to help them better controls their conditions.Keywords: Diabetic, Glycaemic control, EthiopiaAfr J Health Sci. 2013; 26:302-31

Environmental isotopes (δ18O–δ2H, 222Rn) and electrical conductivity in backtracking sources of urban pipe water, monitoring the stability of water quality and estimating pipe water residence time

This study demonstrates the use of environmental tracers (Water isotopes-δ18O–δ2H, Radon-222Rn, and Electrical Conductivity-EC) as complementary tools for backtracking the water source, estimating pipe water residence time, and monitoring the instability of the water quality. Using the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, as a case study site, we demonstrate that water isotopes (δ18O andδ2H) effectively backtrack the tap water to its source (springs, reservoirs, shallow aquifers, or deep aquifers). 222Rn is shown to be effective for discriminating groundwater-sourced pipe networks from those that are dominated by surface waters. Our reconnaissance survey reveals that 222Rn, a tracer previously not considered to determine the pipe water residence time, can be used effectively to determine pipe water residence time in groundwater-sourced pipe networks. We recommend further research to explore the capability of 222Rn as a robust indicator of the pipe water residence time in an urban piped water network. The tracers reveal that 50% of the city obtains its water from groundwater and that the groundwater-sourced areas of the city show the highest water quality instability. The water quality in groundwater-sourced pipes varies depending on pumping stoppage owing to power interruptions. Surface water-sourced pipe water shows seasonal variations in water quality, with occasional large deviations from the normal trends following flow interruptions

Quality of Care Delivered to Tuberculosis Patients among Public Hospitals in Central Northeast Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and treatment contributes to unfavorable health outcome among TB patients. Improving quality of healthcare service helps to avert TB related morbidity. Despite these facts, the level of quality of service is not known in the hospitals. Hence, the present study was conducted to assess the quality of care delivered to TB patients among publichospitals.METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 15 to April 30, 2019 in North Shewa Zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia. All TB patients who had follow-up in the hospitals were included. This resulted in the involvement of 82 TB patients. Data was collected by trained data collectors using facility audit, clinical observation checklists, structured questionnaire and in-depth interview. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Binary logistic regression analysis was done to identify the predictors of patients’ satisfaction.RESULTS: In this study, 82 respondents with a mean age of 36.48 (±13.27) years were participated. The mean quality score for structural dimension was 59.5%, and 53.7% of participants were found to be satisfied in outcome dimension. The mean score for process dimension of quality of service were 67.9%. Having TB symptoms were significantly associated with the level of patientsatisfaction towards TB care [AOR = 0.217, p = 0.015].CONCLUSION:Quality of TB services from structural and outcome dimension were low and higher in process dimension. Thus, careful attention on the quality of services will help to reduce the burden of TB

A systematic review of the health effects of lead exposure from electronic waste in children

IntroductionElectronic waste (e-waste) is an emerging human and environmental problem. Lead (Pb) is one of the most dangerous chemicals for human health, and it is the most prevalent heavy metal pollutant in e-waste. Despite the rapid growth of e-waste globally and the health effects of Pb, there is little information regarding the effects of Pb exposure from e-waste on children. Therefore, the aim of this review was to provide concise information on the health effects of Pb exposure from e-waste on children.MethodsA comprehensive search of databases was undertaken using PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, HINARI, African Journal Online (AJOL), and additional sources were searched up to November 25, 2022. Eligibility criteria were determined using Population, Exposure, Comparator, and Outcome (PECO). The guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) were used during the article selection process. The protocol of this systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (Registration ID: CRD42022377028). The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) quality appraisal checklist was used to assess the quality of the included studies.ResultsFrom a total of 1,150 identified studies, 20 full-text studies were included in the systematic review. All most included studies were conducted in China recycling area for e-waste. The included studies were conducted with an exposed group versus a reference group. The majority of the included studies found that blood Pb levels were ≥5 μg/dl and that Pb exposures from e-waste were affecting children’s health, such as a decrease in serum cortisol levels, inhibition of hemoglobin synthesis, impact on neurobehavioral development, affect physical development, etc.ConclusionLead exposure had a significant impact on children’s health as a result of informal e-waste recycling. Therefore, formalizing the informal sector and raising public health awareness are important steps toward reducing Pb exposure from e-waste. Moreover, the concerned stakeholders, like national and international organizations, should work together to effectively manage e-waste