The Extent of Immature Fish Harvesting by the Commercial Fishery in Lake Hawassa, Ethiopia

The sustainability of a given fishery is a function of the number of sexually matured fish present in water. If there is intensive immature fishing, the population of fish reaching the stage of recruitment will decrease, which in turn results in lower yield and biomass. The present study was conducted to estimate the extent of immature fish harvesting by the commercial fishery of Lake Hawassa. Random samples of 962 Oreochromis niloticus and 672 Clarias gariepinus were taken from the fishermen’s catch for two weeks from May 15 to 30, 2011, which was peak spawning season for both fish species. The maturity of the sampled fish was determined by visual examination of developmental stages of gonads based on their size, structure and the space they occupy in the body cavity of fish. Lengths at first sexual maturity of male and female C.gariepinus were55.9cm and 54.8cm, respectively and that of male and female O.niloticus were 20.8cm and 20.3cm, respectively. There was heavy immature fishing of C.gariepinus as high as 77.6% but immature fish harvesting was slight for O.niloticus (23.0%). Thus immature fishing of C.gariepinus should be stopped as soon as possible since only one fifth of the population has the chance to breed and replenish the stock before it is caught. Widening the currently used mesh size from 8cm to 10cm is recommended to avoid immature fishing.Keywords: Immature fishing, Length at first maturity, Oreochromis niloticus, Clarias gariepinus, Lake Hawassa, Ethiopia

Types and drug susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates from eye discharge samples at Gondar University Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Background: The type and pattern of organisms that cause ocular infection changes over time. Moreover, the causative organisms have developed increased drug resistance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalent bacterial agents of eye discharge and their drug susceptibility patterns to commonly used antimicrobial agents. Methods. A retrospective study was conducted at Gondar University Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia from September, 2009 to August, 2012. Culture and drug susceptibility test results of patients who had eye infections were taken for analysis. Eye discharge samples were cultured on MacConkey agar, blood agar and chocolate agar plates. A standard biochemical procedure was used for full identification of bacterial isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were done on Mueller-Hinton agar by using disk diffusion method. Data was entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 16 software. Result: A total of 102 eye discharges were submitted for microbiological evaluation, of which (60.8%) had bacterial growth. The most frequently isolated bacterial isolates were gram-positive bacteria (74.2%). The predominant bacterial species isolated was Coagulase-negative staphylococci (27.4%) followed by S. aureus (21%). Within the age group of 1 day-2 years old, (66.1%) of bacteria were isolated. Most of the bacterial isolates were resistance to ampicilin (71%), amoxicilin (62.9%), erythromycin (43.5%), gentamicin (45.2%), penicillin (71%), trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole (58.1%), and tetracycline (64.6%) while Ceftriaxon and Ciprofloxacin showed (75.8%) and (80%) susceptibility respectively. From the total bacterial isolates, (87.1%) were showed multi drug resistance (MDR) to two or more drugs. Conclusion: The prevalence of bacterial isolates in eye discharge was high in the study area and majority of isolates were gram-positive bacteria. Most of the bacterial isolates were resistant to frequently used antimicrobials. Therefore, drug susceptibility test is necessary before prescribing any antimicrobials

DELAY on first antenatal care visit and its associated factors among pregnant women in public health facilities of Debre Markos town, North West Ethiopia

Abstract Background Delay on timely initiation of antenatal care has a great impact on adverse pregnancy out comes. However, evidences in Ethiopia revealed that majority of pregnant mothers did not start their first visit as recommrnded by WHO. The aim of this study was to assess delay and associated factors of first antenatal care visit among pregnant mothers at public health facilities of Debremarkos town, North West Ethiopia. Methods An institutional based crosss-sectional study was conducted from February to March, 2014 in public health facilities of Debremarkos town North west Ethiopia. A total of 320 pregnant mothers who were sure of their last menstrual periods were interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Data entry was done using Epi data 3.1 and analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics, binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify the magnitude and factors associated with delay on timely initiation of the first antenatal care visit. Results The proportion of respondents who made their first antenatal care visit after 16 weeks of gestation was found to be 33.4%. Mothers residing in rural settings (AOR = 2.8 [95% CI:1.54–5.44]), not attained formal education(AOR = 2.2 [95% CI:1.10–4.68]),with unintended pregnancy (AOR = 3.6 [95% CI:2.00–6.80]) and who perceived that the right initiation time of the first antenatal care visit is beyond 16 weeks of gestation (AOR = 3.9 [95% CI:1.61–9.76]) were more likely delayed on their first antenatal care visit . Conclusion Residence, educational status, intention of pregnancy and perception on the right time of first antenatal care visit initiation were found to be predictors of delay on timely initiatin of first antenatal care visit. Therefore, the Zonal health department should strengthen awareness creation about timely initiation of first antenatal care visit and family planning to prevent unintended pregnancy in the community especially in the rural settings

Determinants of sputum culture conversion time in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients in ALERT comprehensive specialized hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A retrospective cohort study.

IntroductionThe treatment response of multi-drug resistance tuberculosis (MDR-Tuberculosis) patients is mainly dictated by the sputum culture conversion. An earlier culture conversion is a remarkable indicator of the improvement in the treatment response. In this study, we aimed to determine the time to culture conversion and its associated factors among MDR-Tuberculosis patients in All Africa Leprosy, Tuberculosis and Rehabilitation Training Center (ALERT) Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted on 120 MDR-Tuberculosis patients attending ALERT Hospital from 2018-2022. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to determine the time to initial sputum culture conversion. All relevant laboratory, socio-demographic characteristics, and other clinical data were collected by chart abstraction using a structure data extraction form. The log-rank test was used to determine the survival rate. To identify the predictors of culture conversion, bivariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used. The hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval was used to estimate the effect of each variable on the initial culture conversion. A test with a P value of ResultsFrom the total of 120 study participants, 89.2% (107/120) have shown a successful culture conversion. The median age of the participants was 30 years (IQR = 12). The study participants were followed for 408.6 person-months (34.05 person-years). The median time to initial sputum culture conversion was 80 days. The median time to initial sputum culture conversion among HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants was 61 days (IQR = 58-63.5) and 88 days (IQR = 75-91), respectively. HIV-negative and patients with previous treatment history were shown to be the predictor for a prolonged time to initial sputum culture conversion, (aHR = 0.24 (95% CI: 0.1-0.4), P value ConclusionThe median time to sputum culture conversion for HIV positive was found to be 61 days in our study. Notably, patients with a history of previous anti-tuberculosis treatment, HIV-negative status, and higher bacillary load at baseline exhibited delayed culture conversion. These findings underscore the importance of considering such patient characteristics in the management of MDR-TB cases, as tailored interventions and close monitoring may lead to more favorable treatment outcomes. By identifying individuals with these risk factors early in the treatment process, healthcare providers can implement targeted strategies to optimize patient care and improve overall treatment success rates in MDR-TB management programs

Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and associated factors among displaced people in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundThe number of people who have been displaced from their homes due to violence, conflict, and natural disasters. The displaced persons are vulnerable to PTSD; however, being women, individuals with lower socio-economic status and intense exposure to physical assault are more vulnerable. The reviews stated that the pooled prevalence of PTSD among refugees in high-income countries was higher than the general population. However, there has been no review done on PTSD among displaced persons in Africa. Therefore, the aim of this review was to summarise the most recent data evidence on the pooled prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and the pooled effect of associated factors on adult displaced people in Africa.MethodsWe used an appropriate guideline for systematic reviews and meta-analyses reports, which is the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). This review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023411371). The publications were identified from PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Scopus databases, and other grey searches of Google Scholar and World Health Organisation (WHO) reports. The data was extracted in Microsoft Excel, and then it will be imported into STATA 11.0 for analysis.ResultsWe have included 10 studies conducted in African countries with 5287 study participants. In this meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of PTSD among displaced people in Africa was 55.64 (95% CI: 42.76–68.41%). Further, in subgroup analysis regarding the study participants, the pooled prevalence of PTSD among internally displaced people and refugees was 56.35% and 54.04%, respectively. Among the associated factors, being female, unemployed, and depression were significantly related to PTSD among displaced people.ConclusionsIn this review, the pooled prevalence of PTSD among displaced people in Africa was high. Demographic characteristics (female, single, and unemployed), substance use disorder, and depression were risk factors for PTSD among displaced people. This finding might help the stakeholders (mental health policy makers, administrators, and mental health professionals) to address the prevention, early screening, and management of PTSD among displaced people and to give attention to more vulnerable bodies.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO, identifier CRD42023411371