27 research outputs found

    A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE MICROFLORA LEVEL OF SOME FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

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    ABSTRACT: Samples of 15 different fruit and vegetable types were purchased from five small groceries around Addis Ababa. Enumeration, isolation and identification processes were performed for the microbial flora of each sample before and after 15-30 days of preservation. Both direct and enrichment culture media were used to distinguish these microflora as members of the groups of normal contaminants, indicators, spoilage and foodborne disease causing organisms. The overall result of this work indicates that a total of 25 different organisms, comprising 3 (12%) indicators, 15 (60%) spoilage, 5 (20%) food-borne pathogens and 2 (8%) normal contaminants, were isolated. The predominant isolates of these groups were Escherishia coli type I, among the indicators Bacilli, molds and Enterobacter species among the spoilage and Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium and Bacillus cereus among the pathogens. The direct inoculation method revealed the isolation of more than one indicator organisms from each of 7 (46.7%) fresh or unpreserved fruit and vegetable samples, more than 3 spoilage organisms from each of 8 (53.3%) samples, and, at least, one pathogenic organism from each of another 8 (53.3%) samples. When enrichment culture method was applied, all these results were increased as: >1 indicators in 10 (67%), >3 spoilage organisms in 9 (60%), and pathogens in 9 (60%) of the unpreserved samples. The enumeration values of the indicator/organisms and the spoilage groups of mesophyllic aerobes/anaerobes, molds and/or yeasts were all above the accepted limits for such fruits and vegetable samples. This was shown to be true in 10 (66.7%), 4 (26.7%) and 6 (40%) samples for the indicators, spoilage mesopheles, and mold or yeasts respectively. The preservation processes have proved to be effective in eliminating or reducing the numbers and types of the organisms isolated from each fresh sample. The effectivity of the preservation methods is discussed and its applicability in a simplified and comprehensive manual for a small-scale (household level) preservation of fruits and vegetables has been recommended

    Infection prevention and control practices in the Pediatrics and Child Health Department of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia

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    BackgroundInfection prevention and control (IPC) is a set of practices that are designed to minimize the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) spreading among patients, healthcare workers, and visitors. Implementation of IPC is essential for reducing infection incidences, preventing antibiotic use, and minimizing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The aim of the study was to assess IPC practices and associated factors in Pediatrics and Child Health at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital.MethodsIn this study, we used a cross-sectional study design with a simple random sampling method. We determined the sample size using a single population proportion formula with the assumption of a 55% good IPC practice, a 5% accepted margin of error, and a 15% non-response rate and adjusted with the correction formula. The final sample size was 284 healthcare workers. The binary logistic regression model was used for analysis. The World Health Organization (WHO) Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework (IPCAF) tool was used to assess IPC core components.ResultA total of 272 healthcare workers participated in the study, with a response rate of 96%. Of the total participants, 65.8% were female and 75.7% were nurses. The overall composite score showed that the prevalence of good IPC practices among healthcare workers was 50.4% (95% CI: 44.3–56.5). The final model revealed that nursing professionals and healthcare workers who received IPC training had AORs of 2.84 (95% CI: 1.34–6.05) and 2.48 (95% CI: 1.36–4.52), respectively. The final average total IPCAF score for the IPC level was 247.5 out of 800 points.ConclusionThe prevalence of good IPC practice was suboptimal. The study participants, who were nursing professionals and healthcare workers who received IPC training, showed a statistically significant association with the IPC practice level. The facility-level IPCAF result showed a “Basic” level of practice based on the WHO categorization. These evidences can inform healthcare workers and decision-makers to identify areas for improvement in IPC practice at all levels. Training of healthcare workers and effective implementation of the eight IPC core components should be strengthened to improve suboptimal practices

    COVID 19 Epidemic Trajectory Modeling Results for Ethiopia

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    AbstractBackground: An outbreak of “pneumonia of unknown etiology" later renamed as Novel Corona Virus (COVID 19) was first reported from Hubei Province, China on 31 December 2019. The cases have increased exponentially; the pandemic has reached all countries in the world with 81.2 million confirmed cases and over 1.8 million by December 28, 2020. Ethiopia reported its first case on March 13, 2020, and as of December 28, 2020, the country had 122864 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1909 deaths. Being a new pandemic its epidemiologic trajectories across regions and populations remains unknown. Mathematical models are widely used to understand and predict the possible courses of an outbreak, given a set of underlying assumptions. Objective: This study intends to model COVID 19 epidemic trajectory under different assumptions and to predict the likely timing of peak of the epidemic in Ethiopia. Methods: Standard Susceptible Exposed, Infected and Recovery (SEIR) compartmental epidemiological deterministic model was employed to estimate and predict COVID 19 in progression in Ethiopia and Addis Ababa at different points of time. Exhaustive literature reviews were carried out to contextualize COVID 19 pandemic epidemiological. Efficacy and coverage of face mask and social distancing were considered in the best and worst situation to run the model and estimate the number of infections after sustained local transmissions. Result. Without any intervention, the COVID 19 viruses spread will peak at 150 days from the first report, infecting 8.01million people given local/community transmission. As the compliance with face mask coverage increases by 25%, 50%, and 75%, the infection will be reduced by about 20%, 40%, and 60% respectively social distancing compliance by le 25% of the population alone will reduce above 60% of infections. Compliance of 40% face mask use and social distance combined effect will reduce 97% of the estimated number of cases. Conclusion: This predication indicated that compliance with combination of non-pharmaceutical intervention such as use of face mask use with physical distance averted significant number of COVID infection. For a county like Ethiopia with poor health systems resilience, mitigating the pandemic at an early stage through strong preventive measures is necessary. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2021; 35(SI-1):25-32] Key word: COVID 19, Modelling, Non-Pharmaceutica intervention, Ethiopi

    Global, regional, and national sex-specific burden and control of the HIV epidemic, 1990-2019, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019

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    Background: The sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Understanding the current state of the HIV epidemic and its change over time is essential to this effort. This study assesses the current sex-specific HIV burden in 204 countries and territories and measures progress in the control of the epidemic. Methods: To estimate age-specific and sex-specific trends in 48 of 204 countries, we extended the Estimation and Projection Package Age-Sex Model to also implement the spectrum paediatric model. We used this model in cases where age and sex specific HIV-seroprevalence surveys and antenatal care-clinic sentinel surveillance data were available. For the remaining 156 of 204 locations, we developed a cohort-incidence bias adjustment to derive incidence as a function of cause-of-death data from vital registration systems. The incidence was input to a custom Spectrum model. To assess progress, we measured the percentage change in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 (threshold >75% decline), the ratio of incident cases to number of people living with HIV (incidence-to-prevalence ratio threshold <0·03), and the ratio of incident cases to deaths (incidence-to-mortality ratio threshold <1·0). Findings: In 2019, there were 36·8 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 35·1–38·9) people living with HIV worldwide. There were 0·84 males (95% UI 0·78–0·91) per female living with HIV in 2019, 0·99 male infections (0·91–1·10) for every female infection, and 1·02 male deaths (0·95–1·10) per female death. Global progress in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 was driven by sub-Saharan Africa (with a 28·52% decrease in incident cases, 95% UI 19·58–35·43, and a 39·66% decrease in deaths, 36·49–42·36). Elsewhere, the incidence remained stable or increased, whereas deaths generally decreased. In 2019, the global incidence-to-prevalence ratio was 0·05 (95% UI 0·05–0·06) and the global incidence-to-mortality ratio was 1·94 (1·76–2·12). No regions met suggested thresholds for progress. Interpretation: Sub-Saharan Africa had both the highest HIV burden and the greatest progress between 1990 and 2019. The number of incident cases and deaths in males and females approached parity in 2019, although there remained more females with HIV than males with HIV. Globally, the HIV epidemic is far from the UNAIDS benchmarks on progress metrics. Funding: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Institute on Aging of the NIH

    Mapping age- and sex-specific HIV prevalence in adults in sub-Saharan Africa, 2000-2018

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    BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is still among the leading causes of disease burden and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and the world is not on track to meet targets set for ending the epidemic by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Precise HIV burden information is critical for effective geographic and epidemiological targeting of prevention and treatment interventions. Age- and sex-specific HIV prevalence estimates are widely available at the national level, and region-wide local estimates were recently published for adults overall. We add further dimensionality to previous analyses by estimating HIV prevalence at local scales, stratified into sex-specific 5-year age groups for adults ages 15-59 years across SSA. METHODS: We analyzed data from 91 seroprevalence surveys and sentinel surveillance among antenatal care clinic (ANC) attendees using model-based geostatistical methods to produce estimates of HIV prevalence across 43 countries in SSA, from years 2000 to 2018, at a 5 × 5-km resolution and presented among second administrative level (typically districts or counties) units. RESULTS: We found substantial variation in HIV prevalence across localities, ages, and sexes that have been masked in earlier analyses. Within-country variation in prevalence in 2018 was a median 3.5 times greater across ages and sexes, compared to for all adults combined. We note large within-district prevalence differences between age groups: for men, 50% of districts displayed at least a 14-fold difference between age groups with the highest and lowest prevalence, and at least a 9-fold difference for women. Prevalence trends also varied over time; between 2000 and 2018, 70% of all districts saw a reduction in prevalence greater than five percentage points in at least one sex and age group. Meanwhile, over 30% of all districts saw at least a five percentage point prevalence increase in one or more sex and age group. CONCLUSIONS: As the HIV epidemic persists and evolves in SSA, geographic and demographic shifts in prevention and treatment efforts are necessary. These estimates offer epidemiologically informative detail to better guide more targeted interventions, vital for combating HIV in SSA

    Mapping age- and sex-specific HIV prevalence in adults in sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2018

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    Background: Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is still among the leading causes of disease burden and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and the world is not on track to meet targets set for ending the epidemic by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Precise HIV burden information is critical for effective geographic and epidemiological targeting of prevention and treatment interventions. Age- and sex-specific HIV prevalence estimates are widely available at the national level, and region-wide local estimates were recently published for adults overall. We add further dimensionality to previous analyses by estimating HIV prevalence at local scales, stratified into sex-specific 5-year age groups for adults ages 15–59 years across SSA. Methods: We analyzed data from 91 seroprevalence surveys and sentinel surveillance among antenatal care clinic (ANC) attendees using model-based geostatistical methods to produce estimates of HIV prevalence across 43 countries in SSA, from years 2000 to 2018, at a 5 × 5-km resolution and presented among second administrative level (typically districts or counties) units. Results: We found substantial variation in HIV prevalence across localities, ages, and sexes that have been masked in earlier analyses. Within-country variation in prevalence in 2018 was a median 3.5 times greater across ages and sexes, compared to for all adults combined. We note large within-district prevalence differences between age groups: for men, 50% of districts displayed at least a 14-fold difference between age groups with the highest and lowest prevalence, and at least a 9-fold difference for women. Prevalence trends also varied over time; between 2000 and 2018, 70% of all districts saw a reduction in prevalence greater than five percentage points in at least one sex and age group. Meanwhile, over 30% of all districts saw at least a five percentage point prevalence increase in one or more sex and age group. Conclusions: As the HIV epidemic persists and evolves in SSA, geographic and demographic shifts in prevention and treatment efforts are necessary. These estimates offer epidemiologically informative detail to better guide more targeted interventions, vital for combating HIV in SSA

    Global, regional, and national burden of diabetes from 1990 to 2021, with projections of prevalence to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

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    This online publication has been corrected. The corrected version first appeared at thelancet.com on September 28, 2023BACKGROUND : Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, and affects people regardless of country, age group, or sex. Using the most recent evidentiary and analytical framework from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD), we produced location-specific, age-specific, and sex-specific estimates of diabetes prevalence and burden from 1990 to 2021, the proportion of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in 2021, the proportion of the type 2 diabetes burden attributable to selected risk factors, and projections of diabetes prevalence through 2050. METHODS : Estimates of diabetes prevalence and burden were computed in 204 countries and territories, across 25 age groups, for males and females separately and combined; these estimates comprised lost years of healthy life, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs; defined as the sum of years of life lost [YLLs] and years lived with disability [YLDs]). We used the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) approach to estimate deaths due to diabetes, incorporating 25 666 location-years of data from vital registration and verbal autopsy reports in separate total (including both type 1 and type 2 diabetes) and type-specific models. Other forms of diabetes, including gestational and monogenic diabetes, were not explicitly modelled. Total and type 1 diabetes prevalence was estimated by use of a Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, to analyse 1527 location-years of data from the scientific literature, survey microdata, and insurance claims; type 2 diabetes estimates were computed by subtracting type 1 diabetes from total estimates. Mortality and prevalence estimates, along with standard life expectancy and disability weights, were used to calculate YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs. When appropriate, we extrapolated estimates to a hypothetical population with a standardised age structure to allow comparison in populations with different age structures. We used the comparative risk assessment framework to estimate the risk-attributable type 2 diabetes burden for 16 risk factors falling under risk categories including environmental and occupational factors, tobacco use, high alcohol use, high body-mass index (BMI), dietary factors, and low physical activity. Using a regression framework, we forecast type 1 and type 2 diabetes prevalence through 2050 with Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and high BMI as predictors, respectively. FINDINGS : In 2021, there were 529 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 500–564) people living with diabetes worldwide, and the global age-standardised total diabetes prevalence was 6·1% (5·8–6·5). At the super-region level, the highest age-standardised rates were observed in north Africa and the Middle East (9·3% [8·7–9·9]) and, at the regional level, in Oceania (12·3% [11·5–13·0]). Nationally, Qatar had the world’s highest age-specific prevalence of diabetes, at 76·1% (73·1–79·5) in individuals aged 75–79 years. Total diabetes prevalence—especially among older adults—primarily reflects type 2 diabetes, which in 2021 accounted for 96·0% (95·1–96·8) of diabetes cases and 95·4% (94·9–95·9) of diabetes DALYs worldwide. In 2021, 52·2% (25·5–71·8) of global type 2 diabetes DALYs were attributable to high BMI. The contribution of high BMI to type 2 diabetes DALYs rose by 24·3% (18·5–30·4) worldwide between 1990 and 2021. By 2050, more than 1·31 billion (1·22–1·39) people are projected to have diabetes, with expected age-standardised total diabetes prevalence rates greater than 10% in two super-regions: 16·8% (16·1–17·6) in north Africa and the Middle East and 11·3% (10·8–11·9) in Latin America and Caribbean. By 2050, 89 (43·6%) of 204 countries and territories will have an age-standardised rate greater than 10%. INTERPRETATION : Diabetes remains a substantial public health issue. Type 2 diabetes, which makes up the bulk of diabetes cases, is largely preventable and, in some cases, potentially reversible if identified and managed early in the disease course. However, all evidence indicates that diabetes prevalence is increasing worldwide, primarily due to a rise in obesity caused by multiple factors. Preventing and controlling type 2 diabetes remains an ongoing challenge. It is essential to better understand disparities in risk factor profiles and diabetes burden across populations, to inform strategies to successfully control diabetes risk factors within the context of multiple and complex drivers.Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.http://www.thelancet.comam2024School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH)SDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein

    Synthetic strategies and biomedical applications of I–III–VI ternary quantum dots

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    Surface modified and bioconjugated quantum dots (QDs) are of central importance in biomedical applications. In this regard, particularly I–III–VI QDs are of specific interest for biosensors, multimodal imaging, chemotherapy and for phototherapy in theranostic applications. Surface modification allows management of the physico-chemical properties, biocompatibility, and pharmacological properties. This review is anticipated to provide an introduction to new researchers about I–III–VI type QDs relating to their synthesis, optical properties, surface modification, bioconjugation, and their applications in biosensors, biological imaging, drug delivery, photothermal therapy and photodynamic therapy. We also highlight introducing magnetic metals and nanoparticles to these QDs for multimodal imaging applications and have addressed toxicity related issues. Finally, we summarize the results obtained and give a short outlook on future directions of I–III–VI based QDs for biomedical applications

    Table_1_Infection prevention and control practices in the Pediatrics and Child Health Department of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia.DOCX

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    BackgroundInfection prevention and control (IPC) is a set of practices that are designed to minimize the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) spreading among patients, healthcare workers, and visitors. Implementation of IPC is essential for reducing infection incidences, preventing antibiotic use, and minimizing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The aim of the study was to assess IPC practices and associated factors in Pediatrics and Child Health at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital.MethodsIn this study, we used a cross-sectional study design with a simple random sampling method. We determined the sample size using a single population proportion formula with the assumption of a 55% good IPC practice, a 5% accepted margin of error, and a 15% non-response rate and adjusted with the correction formula. The final sample size was 284 healthcare workers. The binary logistic regression model was used for analysis. The World Health Organization (WHO) Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework (IPCAF) tool was used to assess IPC core components.ResultA total of 272 healthcare workers participated in the study, with a response rate of 96%. Of the total participants, 65.8% were female and 75.7% were nurses. The overall composite score showed that the prevalence of good IPC practices among healthcare workers was 50.4% (95% CI: 44.3–56.5). The final model revealed that nursing professionals and healthcare workers who received IPC training had AORs of 2.84 (95% CI: 1.34–6.05) and 2.48 (95% CI: 1.36–4.52), respectively. The final average total IPCAF score for the IPC level was 247.5 out of 800 points.ConclusionThe prevalence of good IPC practice was suboptimal. The study participants, who were nursing professionals and healthcare workers who received IPC training, showed a statistically significant association with the IPC practice level. The facility-level IPCAF result showed a “Basic” level of practice based on the WHO categorization. These evidences can inform healthcare workers and decision-makers to identify areas for improvement in IPC practice at all levels. Training of healthcare workers and effective implementation of the eight IPC core components should be strengthened to improve suboptimal practices.</p
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