Predictor of multidrug resistant tuberculosis in southwestern part of Ethiopia: a case control study

Abstract Background Curable disease tuberculosis is becoming incurable or difficult to treat due to drug resistance. Multi drug resistance tuberculosis is a major health problem for less developed countries. Development of drug resistance is mainly as result of man related factors and poor lifestyle. Identifying predictors of drug resistance and working on them is the important way of reducing the expansion in high burden countries. Ethiopia is one of TB, TB/HIV, and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) high burden country globally. This study was aimed to assess predictor of MDR-TB in southwest part of Ethiopia. Methods Unmatched case control study was conducted in case to control ratio of 1:1.2 in southwest part of Ethiopia. The cases were recruited from confirmed MDR-TB patient enrolled on second line treatment in Shenen Gibe Hospital (MDR-TB treatment center of the prefecture) and the controls were recruited from previously TB patients who cured or patient with smear negative at the end of treatment month during the study period in the same area. The data was collected by structured questionnaire by interview and logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of MDR-TB. Odds ratios with 95% CI were computed to determine the predictors. Result From the total 132 participants about 45% of them were cases. None disclosed tuberculosis infected to relatives [AOR = 3.4, 95% CI (1.2–9.8)], insufficient instruction on how to take anti-TB drug [AOR = 4.7, 95% CI (1.4–14.6)], contact history with MDR-TB [AOR = 8.5, 95% CI (2.9–25.5)], interruption of first-line anti-TB treatment for at list 1 day [AOR = 7.9, 95% CI (2.5–24.9)], and having alcohol drinking habits [AOR = 5.1, 95% CI (1.4–18.7)] were identified predictors for MDR-TB infection in study area. Conclusion TB infection disclosure status, insufficient instruction on drug usage, contact history with MDR-TB, interruption of first-line anti-TB drugs, and alcohol drinking habits were identified predictor of MDR-TB case. Therefore, early detection and proper treatment of drug susceptible TB, strengthening directly observed treatment, short-course on daily bases, community involvement, and supporting the patient to intervene identified factors is paramount

COVID-19 in Oromia Region of Ethiopia: a review of the first 6 months’ surveillance data

Introduction Despite unrelenting efforts to contain its spread, COVID-19 is still causing unprecedented global crises. Ethiopia reported its first case on 13 March 2020 but has an accelerated case load and geographical distribution recently. In this article, we described the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Oromia Region, the largest and most populous region in Ethiopia, during the early months of the outbreak.Methods We analysed data from the COVID-19 surveillance database of the Oromia Regional Health Bureau. We included all reverse transcription-PCR-confirmed cases reported from the region between 13 March and 13 September 2020.Results COVID-19 was confirmed in 8955 (5.5%) of 164 206 tested individuals. The test positivity rate increased from an average of 1.0% in the first 3 months to 6.3% in August and September. About 70% (6230) of the cases were men; the mean age was 30.0 years (SD=13.3), and 90.5% were <50 years of age. Only 64 (0.7%) of the cases had symptoms at diagnosis. Cough was the most common among symptomatic cases reported in 48 (75.0%), while fever was the least. Overall, 4346 (48.5%) have recovered from the virus; and a total of 52 deaths were reported with a case fatality rate of 1.2%. However, we should interpret the reported case fatality rate cautiously since in 44 (84.6%) of those reported as COVID-19 death, the virus was detected from dead bodies.Conclusion Despite the steady increase in the number of reported COVID-19 cases, Ethiopia has so far avoided the feared catastrophe from the pandemic due to the milder and asymptomatic nature of the disease. However, with the current pattern of widespread community transmission, the danger posed by the pandemic remains real. Thus, the country should focus on averting COVID-19-related humanitarian crisis through strengthening COVID-19 surveillance and targeted testing for the most vulnerable groups

Spatiotemporal Distribution of Tuberculosis in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia: A Hotspot Analysis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern in low- and middle-income countries including Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the spatiotemporal distribution of TB and identify TB risk factors in Ethiopia’s Oromia region. Descriptive and spatiotemporal analyses were conducted. Bayesian spatiotemporal modeling was used to identify covariates that accounted for variability in TB and its spatiotemporal distribution. A total of 206,278 new pulmonary TB cases were reported in the Oromia region between 2018 and 2022, with the lowest annual TB case notification (96.93 per 100,000 population) reported in 2020 (i.e., during the COVID-19 pandemic) and the highest TB case notification (106.19 per 100,000 population) reported in 2019. Substantial spatiotemporal variations in the distribution of notified TB case notifications were observed at zonal and district levels with most of the hotspot areas detected in the northern and southern parts of the region. The spatiotemporal distribution of notified TB incidence was positively associated with different ecological variables including temperature (β = 0.142; 95% credible interval (CrI): 0.070, 0.215), wind speed (β = −0.140; 95% CrI: −0.212, −0.068), health service coverage (β = 0.426; 95% CrI: 0.347, 0.505), and population density (β = 0.491; 95% CrI: 0.390, 0.594). The findings of this study indicated that preventive measures considering socio-demographic and health system factors can be targeted to high-risk areas for effective control of TB in the Oromia region. Further studies are needed to develop effective strategies for reducing the burden of TB in hotspot areas