Editorial: Reflecting back on Alma Ata Declaration: Primary Health Care Implementation Models, Impacts, Challenges and Lessons Learned in Ethiopia

Reflecting back on Alma Ata Declaration

Urban health – Catching up on the future for Ethiopia

As noted by Arup: “Two key features are set to alter Africa’s future: a youthful population and urbanization” (1). Cities are now not only the major centers of livelihood opportunities but also have important impacts on social structures and health (2). Urban living is not new to Ethiopia (3,4) but, as reiterated in articles in this special issue, with urbanization currently at less than 20%[1] (see Figure 1) (5,6), it is one of the least urbanized countries, even by African standards (6,7). Globally, for the first time in history, more people (54% in 2011) live in urban areas (8); compared to only about 20%, mostly in the developed world, a century ago (9). The global urban population ratio is predicted to reach over two-thirds by 2050 (8), with cities destined to define the future of global health (10)

A Study on the Relationship Between Students’ Anxiety and Achievement in English Language Learning in EFL Classes

The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between students’ English language learning anxiety and their English language achievement. For this purpose, 197 grade ten students were involved. The students were selected using stratified sampling technique. The instruments used to collect data were questionnaire and achievement. Then, the collected data were analyzed using quantitative methods of data analysis. The study revealed that there was statistically significant negative relationship between students’ English foreign language learning anxiety and their English achievement test result with a correlation coefficient of (r=-.194, p=>0.05). In addition, the participants of the study were found to anxious because of fear of negative evaluation, communication apprehension and test related anxieties. .The study also indicated that female students mean score was less than the mean score of male students when their anxiety levels were measured. But the independent sample t-test indicated that there is no statistically significant difference between male students and female students in their learning anxiety in EFL classrooms. However, a significant mean difference between male and female students was observed on test anxiety with (P<0.05). Therefore, this result is consistent with the findings of Tang (2005). Finally, the researchers recommended that EFL teachers should provide advice for the learners to avoid anxiety in their English language class. Keywords: Anxiety, English foreign language, achievement result, gender, anxiety level DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/86-01 Publication date: February 28th 202

Editorial: Of Institutaions and Persons

No Abstrac

The Perception and Practice of EFL Teachers in Teaching Vocabulary Using Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

The purpose of this study was to investigate EFL teachers’ perception and practice of using CLT in teaching vocabulary in an Ethiopian secondary school. It focused on identifying the teachers’ perception to vocabulary teaching, to assess how often they teach it using CLT, and identify the challenges they face in teaching vocabulary using CLT. In order to achieve these objectives, descriptive survey design was employed. The participants of the study were 10 EFL teachers selected using comprehensive sampling. As data gathering instruments, questionnaire, observation, and interview were used. Descriptive statistics techniques - frequency, percentage and mean- were applied for data analysis. The interview data was also analyzed using themes. The results indicated that EFL teachers have positive perception to teach vocabulary using CLT although their actual classroom practice does not match with their perceptions. They did not use the techniques regularly to present the vocabulary lessons. Moreover, the major problems identified as obstacles in the teaching and learning process were large class size, lack of interest of students and poor quality of the textbook. The issue of teaching vocabulary using CLT remained impractical. Thus, stakeholders have to work hard to reverse the situation of language teaching in these schools. Keywords—CLT, perception, practice, vocabulary, EFL teaching DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/68-01 Publication date:May 31st 202

Comparative milk production and prevalence study of parasites and sub clinical mastitis on indigenous lactating cows under different feeding regimes in central highlands of Ethiopia

Comparative study on prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites, ticks and subclinical mastitis as well as milk yield was conducted on local zebu lactating dairy cows exposed to different feeding regimes in dry seasons at Sululta and Mukaturi districts of North Shewa zone, central Ethiopia. A total of 15 households at each district having at least two lactating local zebu dairy cows were selected; 15 cows of one group at each district were maintained as farmers own feeding practice (control diet, T0), and the others 15 at each district were supplemented (intervention diet, T1). Prior to the experiment, all animals were checked for any gastrointestinal parasite infection, tick infestation and mastitis, through clinical and laboratory diagnosis. All animals with positive results were effectively treated and rechecked before the commencement of the study and those with negative results were followed until the end. The study showed that there was no statistical significant difference (p>0.05) in the prevalence rate of gastrointestinal parasites, external parasites (ticks) and sub clinical mastitis among the treatment and control groups at each district and among districts where the overall prevalence rate was (63.3%, 60% and 33.3%, respectively) for Sululta district and (80%, 56.7% and 40% respectively) for Mukaturi district. The prevalence rate of gastrointestinal parasites, external parasites (ticks) and sub clinical mastitis were 60%, 46.7% and 33.3%, respectively for the treatment group and 66.7%, 73.3% and 33.3%, respectively for the control group at Sululta district, while prevalence of 87.5%, 56.3% and 43.8%, respectively for the treatment group and 71.4%, 57.1% and 35.7%, respectively for the control was observed at Mukaturi district. Also, no statistical significant difference(p>0.05) was found in the mean EPG value among the two districts. The main tick genera encountered were Boophilus, Amblyomma, Rhipicephalus and a mixed infestation by two or more than two of these ticks in both districts. Furthermore, the possible observational limiting factors encountered in the study were those related with general management and lack in utilization of different disease prevention and control options. The study also showed that cows maintained on the intervention diet at both districts produced considerably higher (P<0.05) milk per day compared to those cows which were receiving the control diet. Moreover the financial returns in terms of net profits gained per cow per day were observed to be higher for experimental cows receiving the intervention diets at both districtsKeywords: dairy cattle, feeding, season, mastitis, prevalence, parasites, milkyiel

Brief communication: A Century after Yehedar Besheta (The Spanish Flu in Ethiopia): Are We Prepared for the Next Pandemic?

Are We Prepared for the Next Pandemic

COVID-19: Could it serve as an opportunity to overcome public health challenges of the 21st century?

Since the Athenian Plague of 430 B.C. up to the presentday COVID-19 crisis, human beings have lived through various recorded pandemic events that have shaped human history and the basic principles of modern health sciences. This demonstrates the fact that human beings have always lived, and will continue to live, with diseases of diverse magnitude in terms of their impact and coverage (1). The globe continues to be threatened by outbreaks that cost lives, destruct social fabrics, and destroy the economies. The Black Plague of 1325 and the Spanish Flu of 1918 recorded huge human costs. In the past few decades, human beings have suffered from a series of pathogens that belong to the same coronavirus family (SARS-2003, MERS-2012 and COVID-2019). SARS and MERS prevailed and affected populations in the Middle East and Asia, unlike COVID-19, which has proved more expansive to claim a global profile (2,3)

Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) – reminiscent of Spanish flu: A challenge to global public health systems

Unexpected occurrences of infections in the form of outbreaks are no longer exceptional. The world is encountering infection outbreaks of different types, with coverage, at times, having global ramifications. Going through the archives, one can see that there have been deadly outbreaks that have changed the course of human history. The plague that peaked from 1347 to1351, for example, affected the landscape of Europe and the world, wiping out 17% of the then 450 million global population (1)