Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Trachoma in Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia: Results of 79 Population-Based Prevalence Surveys Conducted with the Global Trachoma Mapping Project.

PURPOSE: To complete the baseline trachoma map in Oromia, Ethiopia, by determining prevalences of trichiasis and trachomatous inflammation - follicular (TF) at evaluation unit (EU) level, covering all districts (woredas) without current prevalence data or active control programs, and to identify factors associated with disease. METHODS: Using standardized methodologies and training developed for the Global Trachoma Mapping Project, we conducted cross-sectional community-based surveys from December 2012 to July 2014. RESULTS: Teams visited 46,244 households in 2037 clusters from 252 woredas (79 EUs). A total of 127,357 individuals were examined. The overall age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of trichiasis in adults was 0.82% (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.70-0.94%), with 72 EUs covering 240 woredas having trichiasis prevalences above the elimination threshold of 0.2% in those aged ≥15 years. The overall age-adjusted TF prevalence in 1-9-year-olds was 23.4%, with 56 EUs covering 218 woredas shown to need implementation of the A, F and E components of the SAFE strategy (surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement) for 3 years before impact surveys. Younger age, female sex, increased time to the main source of water for face-washing, household use of open defecation, low mean precipitation, low mean annual temperature, and lower altitude, were independently associated with TF in children. The 232 woredas in 64 EUs in which TF prevalence was ≥5% require implementation of the F and E components of the SAFE strategy. CONCLUSION: Both active trachoma and trichiasis are highly prevalent in much of Oromia, constituting a significant public health problem for the region

The global burden of trichiasis in 2016.

BACKGROUND: Trichiasis is present when one or more eyelashes touches the eye. Uncorrected, it can cause blindness. Accurate estimates of numbers affected, and their geographical distribution, help guide resource allocation. METHODS: We obtained district-level trichiasis prevalence estimates in adults for 44 endemic and previously-endemic countries. We used (1) the most recent data for a district, if more than one estimate was available; (2) age- and sex-standardized corrections of historic estimates, where raw data were available; (3) historic estimates adjusted using a mean adjustment factor for districts where raw data were unavailable; and (4) expert assessment of available data for districts for which no prevalence estimates were available. FINDINGS: Internally age- and sex-standardized data represented 1,355 districts and contributed 662 thousand cases (95% confidence interval [CI] 324 thousand-1.1 million) to the global total. Age- and sex-standardized district-level prevalence estimates differed from raw estimates by a mean factor of 0.45 (range 0.03-2.28). Previously non- stratified estimates for 398 districts, adjusted by ×0.45, contributed a further 411 thousand cases (95% CI 283-557 thousand). Eight countries retained previous estimates, contributing 848 thousand cases (95% CI 225 thousand-1.7 million). New expert assessments in 14 countries contributed 862 thousand cases (95% CI 228 thousand-1.7 million). The global trichiasis burden in 2016 was 2.8 million cases (95% CI 1.1-5.2 million). INTERPRETATION: The 2016 estimate is lower than previous estimates, probably due to more and better data; scale-up of trichiasis management services; and reductions in incidence due to lower active trachoma prevalence

Vaccinated Healthcare Workers’ Adherence to COVID-19 Prevention Measures and Associated Factors in Northwest Ethiopia: A Facility-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Kale Gubae,1 Samuel Agegnew Wondm,1 Worku Birhane,1 Akalu Fetene,1 Tilaye Arega Moges,2 Mekdes Kiflu1 1Department of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia; 2Department of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Kale Gubae, Email [email protected]: The initial response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Long-term protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection does not appear to be possible by either infection or vaccination. Thus, traditional herd immunity seems impossible. In addition to increasing vaccination rates, NPIs may be needed.Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among vaccinated healthcare workers. The study took place from July 15 to August 15, 2022. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. In a multivariable logistic regression model, a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Four hundred eleven healthcare workers were included in the study. Sixty percent of participants were fully vaccinated. After vaccination, 10.2% of respondents reported infection with SARS-CoV-2. The study showed that 49.4% of participants had a good knowledge of the efficacy and safety of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, 36% of individuals adhered well to the COVID-19 prevention strategies. Good knowledge of the efficacy and safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines (AOR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.03– 2.78) increased the odds of implementing preventive measures. Healthcare workers who perceived a low and medium risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection after vaccination and who were knowledgeable about SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections were less likely to follow preventive measures.Conclusion: The knowledge of healthcare workers regarding the efficacy and safety of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 was comparable. However, a large proportion of healthcare workers poorly adhered to prevention practices. Therefore, to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare professionals, prevention strategies must be continuously evaluated and awareness of the need for preventive measures must be raised even after vaccination.Keywords: prevention practices, vaccine, knowledge, Ethiopi

The Ethiopian Revolution after 40 years (1974–2014): Plan B in progress?

In this article, I reflect on the sociopolitical impact and memory construction of the Ethiopian revolution of 1974. Decades have passed and a new political leadership has reshaped Ethiopian society after the demise of the Ethiopian revolutionary regime in May 1991, but the effects are still felt. The violent political drama of the 1970s and 1980s redefined the Ethiopian political tradition and the practices of (political) violence in the light of new revolutionary ideologies, mainly imported from abroad. The post-1991 regime has shown a particular way of handling the aftermath of the 1974 events, but evinces a number of continuities with the ideologies and practices of that era – if only because all participants and current rulers were part of the same revolutionary (student) generation. The regime presently in power is thus partly a successor regime to the “socialist” regime, having started with largely a similar socioeconomic and Marxist-ideological program. At least in one central aspect, the two regimes differ: in their practical response to the “nationalities question.” The handling of this issue after 1991 by the current regime of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front – Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (EPRDF-TPLF) has confirmed that today we in fact may see “Plan B” of the 1974 revolution being consolidated. We analyze the two strains of the Ethiopian revolution and comment on the how and why of their different paths since 1974