Health and Welfare Assessment of Working Donkeys in and around Axum Districts, Tigray Regional State Northern Ethiopia

Across-sectional study was conducted from October 2011to April 2011 with the objective of assessing the health and welfare status of working donkeys in and around Axum. A total of 384 donkeys were subjected to direct animal based assessment. Out of the total 384 donkeys, 56(14.59%) of the donkeys had poor body condition score that showed a statistically significant different (p<0.05) and 34.9% of them demonstrated abnormal demeanor. Additionally, 7.81% of the examined donkeys had varying degrees of lameness which was significantly associated (p <0.05) with the presences of wound on the leg of animals. 29.69% of the examined animals  were with either healed or active wounds dominated by back sore, older and thin donkeys were prone to develop back sore (p<0.05). Moreover, other skin problems (3.125%), abnormal mucous membrane (3.12%), ophthalmic problems (3.90%), parasitic disease (2.1%) were also encountered. Out of the 384 animals, 80(20.8%) donkeys had varying degrees of dehydration. Indirect assessment about the welfare problem of donkeys demonstrated that poor attitude to donkeys (24.16%), limitation of access to health care (21.6%) and lack of vaccination compared to other animals (11%), among others. As a remedy, the community suggested awareness creation for the owners, provision of feed and water, improvement of access to veterinary care equivalent to other animals. It is, therefore, recommended that public awareness toward the value. Management and health care provision for working donkeys should be enhanced in the study area. Keywords:  Donkey welfare, Axum 

Comparison of different Kato templates for quantitative faecal egg count of intestinal helminth parasites

IntroductionEstimating the intensity of infection is crucial for. estimating morbidity due to intestinal helminth parasites (1) .The intensity of infection of most intestinal helminth parasites is indirectly estimated by quantitative faecal egg count which, in turn, is used for estimating the worm burden (2). Along this line, the quantitative Kato's thick smear method is the most widely used because of its simplicity , low cost, adaptability to the field and adequate sensitivity (3). However , because of the various modifications that are available (50mg, 41.7mg and 20mg templates) comparison of results have been quite difficult. The modifications are based on variations in the thickness and diameter of the template which, in turn, determines the amount of the faecal matter delivered on the slide

Evaluation of health and education impacts of a girls’ safe spaces program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Approximately one in eight of the world’s population is a girl or young woman aged 10–24 and attention is increasingly focusing on the central role of adolescent girls in achieving global health and development goals. Areas of focus by the development field include girls’ education, health, child marriage, and the experience of violence. This study analyzes the educational and health impacts of a program for slum-dwelling girls, including child domestic workers and rural-urban migrants. Established in 2006, Biruh Tesfa (Bright Future) aimed to increase social networks and support for the most marginalized girls in the poorest urban areas of Ethiopia. In 2013, Powering Up Biruh Tesfa was a new initiative to expand the Biruh Tesfa model in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, and focus attention on measuring learning and health outcomes. This report provides information on the longitudinal study of girls residing in the expansion sites of Biruh Tesfa and in comparable areas where the program was not implemented. Results indicate that safe spaces platforms can be instrumental in engaging even the most marginalized and isolated girls in both the education and health sectors, while improving learning outcomes

The impact and cost of child marriage prevention in three African settings

Girls in sub-Saharan Africa are disproportionately affected by child marriage; by 2050, half of the girls married during childhood will reside in Africa. The negative consequences of the practice are numerous and powerful, spanning health, welfare, development, and demographic domains. Yet, there is limited evidence on what works to delay child marriage in different cultural contexts and even less information on programmatic cost. This study develops and tests the most effective and minimum basic package approaches to delay marriage among older and younger adolescent girls, and estimates the cost and cost-effectiveness of implementing the different approaches, in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. In each study country, four approaches were tested: 1) community sensitization to address social norms, 2) provision of school supplies to encourage retention in school, 3) a conditional asset transfer to girls and their families, and 4) one study area that included all the approaches. The study aims to provide information on how best to design programs that are scalable and sustainable within poor settings, and which can provide support for the millions of girls in developing countries at risk of child marriage

Burnout among primary healthcare workers during implementation of integrated mental healthcare in rural Ethiopia: a cohort study

Background The short-term course of burnout in healthcare workers in low- and middle-income countries has undergone limited evaluation. The aim of this study was to assess the short-term outcome of burnout symptoms in the context of implementation of a new mental health programme in a rural African district. Methods We followed up 145 primary healthcare workers (HCWs) working in 66 rural primary healthcare (PHC) facilities in Southern Ethiopia, where a new integrated mental health service was being implemented. Burnout was assessed at baseline, i.e. when the new service was being introduced, and after 6 months. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and instruments measuring professional satisfaction and psychosocial factors. Generalised estimating equations (GEE) were used to assess the association between change in the core dimension of burnout (emotional exhaustion) and relevant work-related and psychosocial factors. Results A total of 136 (93.8%) of HCWs completed and returned their questionnaires at 6 months. There was a non-significant reduction in the burnout level between the two time points. In GEE regression models, high depression symptom scores (adjusted mean difference (aMD) 0.56, 95% CI 0.29, 0.83, p < 0.01), experiencing two or more stressful life events (aMD 1.37, 95% CI 0.06, 2.14, p < 0.01), being a community health extension worker vs. facility-based HCW (aMD 5.80, 95% CI 3.21, 8.38, p < 0.01), perceived job insecurity (aMD 0.73, 95% CI 0.08, 1.38, p = 0.03) and older age (aMD 0.36, 95% CI 0.09, 0.63, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with higher levels of emotional exhaustion longitudinally. Conclusion In the short-term, there was no significant change in the level of burnout in the context of adding mental healthcare to the workload of HCWs. However, longer term and larger scale studies are required to substantiate this. This evidence can serve as baseline information for an intervention development to enhance wellbeing and reduce burnout

Factors associated with depression among young female migrants and commercial sex workers in Ethiopia

This research brief focuses on a study that examines the prevalence of depressive symptoms among Ethiopian girls and young women who migrated to urban areas. It also explores factors associated with depression, including demographic characteristics and the timing and pattern of migration

Antenatal predictors of incident and persistent postnatal depressive symptoms in rural Ethiopia:a population-based prospective study

Background: There have been few studies to examine antenatal predictors of incident postnatal depression, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim of this study was to investigate antenatal predictors of incident and persistent maternal depression in a rural Ethiopian community in order to inform development of antenatal interventions. Method: A population-based prospective study was conducted in Sodo district, south central Ethiopia. A locally validated version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to assess antenatal (second and third trimesters) and postnatal (4-12 weeks after childbirth) depressive symptoms, with a PHQ-9 cut-off of five or more indicating high depressive symptoms. Poisson regression with robust standard errors was used to identify independent predictors of persistence and incidence of postnatal depressive symptoms from a range of antenatal, clinical and psychosocial risk factors. Result: Out of 1311 women recruited antenatally, 1240 (356 with and 884 without antenatal depressive symptoms) were followed up in the postnatal period. Among 356 women with antenatal depressive symptoms, the elevated symptoms persisted into postnatal period in 138 women (38.8%). Out of 884 women without antenatal depressive symptoms, 136 (15.4%) experienced incident elevated depressive symptoms postnatally. The prevalence of high postnatal depressive symptoms in the follow-up sample was 274 (22.1%). Higher intimate partner violence scores in pregnancy were significantly associated with greater risk of incident depressive symptoms [adjusted Risk Ratio (aRR) = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.12]. Each 1-point increment in baseline PHQ-9 score predicted an increased risk of incidence of postnatal depressive symptoms (aRR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.45). There was no association between self-reported pregnancy complications, medical conditions or experience of threatening life events with either incidence or persistence of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Psychological and social interventions to address intimate partner violence during pregnancy may be the most important priorities, able to address both incident and persistent depression

Mortality and associated risk factors in a cohort of tuberculosis patients treated under DOTS programme in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of mortality among infectious diseases worldwide. Ninty five percent of TB cases and 98% of deaths due to TB occur in developing countries. Globally, the mortality rate has declined with the introduction of effective anti TB chemotherapy. Nevertheless, some patients with active TB still die while on treatment for their disease. In Ethiopia, little is known on survival and risk factors for mortality among a cohort of TB patients. The objective of the study is to determine the magnitude and identify risk factors associated with time to death among TB patients treated under DOTS programme in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a retrospective cohort study. Data was obtained by assessing medical records of TB patients registered from June 2004 to July 2009 G.C and treated under the DOTS strategy in three randomly selected health centers. A step-wise multivariable Cox's regression model and Kaplan- Meier curves were used to model the outcome of interest. Mortality was used as an outcome measure. Person-years of observation (PYO) were calculated from the date of starting anti-TB treatment to date of outcome and was calculated as the number of deaths/100 PYO. Statistical analysis SPSS version 16 was used for data analysis and results were reported significant whenever P-value was less than 5%.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>From a total of 6,450 registered TB patients 236(3.7%) were died. More than 75% death occurred within eight month of treatment initiation. The mean and median times of survival starting from the date of treatment initiation were 7.2 and 7.9 months, respectively. Comparison of survival curves using Kaplan Meier curves method with log-rank test showed that the survival status was significantly different between patient categories as well as across treatment centers (P < 0.05). The death rate of pulmonary positive, pulmonary negative and extra pulmonary TB patients were 2.7%, 3.6%, and 4.3%, respectively. Body weight at initiation of anti-TB treatment (<35 kg), patient category, year of enrollment and treatment center were independent predictors for time to death.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Most of the patients were died at the end of treatment period. This underlines the need for devising a mechanism of standardizing the existing DOTS programme and nutritional support for underweight patients for better clinical and treatment outcome.</p

Transmission dynamics of Schistosoma mansoni in an irrigation setting in Ethiopia

Summary: The transmission dynamics of S. mansoni was studied in the Metehara Sugar Estate for 12 months. The prevalence of human infection ranged from 7.4% to 71.3% for 6 villages in the Estate. The infection rate was highest in the 10-14 years of age while the intensity reached peak in the 5-9 years. There were significant variations in the focality and seasonality of transmission. Biomphalaria pfeifferi which was persistent year round, was most abundant during the dry season. Absence of potable water supply and sanitary facilities, proximity to irrigation canals, and overcrowding are some of the most important factors influencing transmission of schistosomiasis in Metehara Sugar Estate. Mass chemotherapy and mollusciciding should be launched in Awash and Chore farm villages to control transmission, while treatment of children under 15 years is believed to control morbidity in other villages. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1995 9(3): 146-158

Male gender preference, female gender disadvantage as risk factors for psychological morbidity in Pakistani women of childbearing age - a life course perspective

Background: In Pakistan, preference for boys over girls is deeply culturally embedded. From birth, many women experience gendered disadvantages, less access to scarce resources, poorer health care, higher child mortality, limited education, less employment outside of the home and circumscribed autonomy. The prevalence of psychological morbidity is exceptionally high among women. We hypothesise that, among women of childbearing age, gender disadvantage is an independent risk factor for psychological morbidity. Methods: A cross-sectional catchment area survey of 525 women aged 18 to 35 years living in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The effect of gender disadvantage was assessed as a latent variable using structural equation modelling. Indicators were parental gender preference, low parental care, parental overprotection, limited education, early age at marriage, marital dissatisfaction and low autonomy. Psychological morbidity was assessed using the 20 item Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ). Results: Gender disadvantage was independently predictive of psychological morbidity. Among married women, socio-economic status did not predict psychological morbidity, and the effect of education was mediated through gender disadvantage rather than socioeconomic status (SES). The women\u27s own preference for a male child was strongly predicted by their perceptions of having been disadvantaged by their gender in their families of origin. Conclusions: The high prevalence of psychological morbidity among women in Pakistan is concerning given recently reported strong associations with low birth weight and infant stunting. Social action, public policies and legislation are indicated to reduce culturally embedded preferences. Neglect of these fundamentals will entrench consequent inequities including gender bias in access to education, a key millennium development goal