Fertility Desire and Reproductive Health Care Needs of Men and Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Nekemte, East Wollega, Ethiopia

Understanding fertility desire and reproductive health care needs of HIV positive men and women in the era of better access to antiretroviral therapy and improved health status is important in planning and  organizing appropriate health services. To assess the fertility desire and reproductive health care needs of men and women living with HIV/AIDS inNekemte town, East Wollega, Ethiopia. A facility based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among PLHIV both men and women from February to March 2010 on a total sample of 592 respondents in Nekemte town using structured questionnaires complimented by an in-depth  interview. Men had higher desire to have a child than women (40.5% versus 30.7%). Men and women who were sexually active in the six months prior to survey were 78.4% and 61.8% respectively. Being male (AOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1-2.8), having no living child (AOR: 13.1, 95%CI: 5.3-32.3), or having less than three living children (AOR: 4.2, 95%CI: 2.2-8.0), having partner desiring child (AOR: 15.4, 95%CI: 9.2-25.8), CD4 count .200 (AOR: 2.0, 95%CI: 1.2-3.5) were significantly associated with fertility desire. Health care delivery should consider the desire for childrenby men and women living with HIV/AIDS in order to avert preventable untoward health and related consequences

Skilled delivery care service utilization in Ethiopia: analysis of rural-urban differentials based on national demographic and health survey (DHS) data

Background: Despite the slight progress made on Antenatal Care (ANC) utilization, skilled delivery care service utilization in Ethiopia is still far-below any acceptable standards. Only 10% of women receive assistance from skilled birth attendants either at home or at health institutions, and as a result the country is recording a high maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 676 per 100,000 live births (EDHS, 2011). Hence, this study aimed at identifying the rural-urban differentials in the predictors of skilled delivery care service utilization in Ethiopia.Methods: The study used the recent Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS 2011) data. Women who had at least one birth in the five years preceding the survey were included in this study. The data were analyzed using univariate (percentage), bivariate (chi-square) and multivariate (Bayesian logistic regression).Results: The results showed that of the total 6,641 women, only 15.6% received skilled delivery care services either at home or at health institution. Rural women were at greater disadvantage to receive the service. Only 4.5% women in rural areas received assistance from skilled birth attendants (SBAs) compared to 64.1 % of their urban counter parts. Through Bayesian logistic regression analysis, place of residence, ANC utilization, women’s education, age and birth order were identified as key predictors of service utilization.Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for coordinated effort from government and stakeholders to improve women’s education, as well as strengthen community participation. Furthermore, the study recommended the need to scale up the quality of ANC and family planning services backed by improved and equitable access, availability and quality of skilled delivery care services.Key words: antenatal care, differentials, skill birth attendance, delivery servic

Sero-Prevalence of Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia in Goat at Selected Woredas of Afar Region

A cross - sectional survey was conducted from 17 Oct. to 11 Dec. 2008 with the aim of determining the sero-prevalence and the major risk factors of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) in the selected eight districts of Afar region namely: Afambo, Assaita, Dubti, Mille, Gewane, Amibara, Dewe and Telalak. During the study a total of 329 goat sera, was examined for the presence of specific antibodies against Mycoplasma capricolum sub. spp. capripneumoniae using CFT. The result revealed that 22.49% (74) prevalence rate. With respect to goats origin, the serological prevalence rates was 31.85%, 36.36%, 18.75%, 12.50%, 12.16%, 10%, 22.22%, and 19.56% from Afambo, Assaita, Dubti, Mille, Gewane, Amibara, Dewe and Telalak districts respectively. The result indicated that there is significant difference (P < 0.05) in sero positive rate among the different districts. The considered risk factors, age (

Fertility Desire and Contraceptive Utilization among People Living With HIV/AIDS on ART in Hosanna Town, Southern Ethiopia

HIV positive individuals may or may not have intention to have children. They could also have different degrees of utilization and demand for contraception. The desire of HIV infected persons to have children in the future has implication for the transmission of HIV to sexual partners or newborns. The study was designed to assess the fertility desire and contraceptive utilization among PLWHAs on ART in Hossana town. institutional based cross sectional study supplemented by in-depth  interview was conducted from January to March 2010 on total sample of 321 who were on ART. Women 18-49 years and men 18-59 years were included. Data was entered by using EPI info 2000 then exported and  analyzed by SPSS 17.0. Total of 117 (36.45%) of respondents were   desiring children. Respondents with no children (AOR 60.89, 95% CI  8.02-462.05), those who intended to use family planning in the future (AOR 4.35, 95% CI 1.61-11.73) were more likely to desire children. 102(31.8%) were using family planning. Being married (AOR 7.83, 95% CI 1.08-56.79), having three or more children (AOR 4.54, 95% CI  1.12-18.48), and having knowledge on mother to child transmission (AOR 4.29, 95% CI 1.98-9.26) plan to have children in the future (AOR 0.29, 95% CI 0.1-0.82) were significantly associated with family planning. A highproportion of HIV positive individuals desired children. A better and   evidence based understanding of fertility intentions and demand for contraception was needed to promote and protect women and men living  with HIV/AIDs to make informed decisions about reproduction and to have access to appropriate sexual reproductive health services

Distribution and importance of Ethiopian vertisols and location of study sites

This chapter describes the distribution, use and importance of Vertisols in Ethiopia and indicates the study sites of the Joint Vertisol Project. Land and soil features are examined with particular reference to parent materials and landscape features, soil characterisation (colour, texture and depth-to-root-restricting layer). Distribution of Vertisols along the 12 physiographic regions of Ethiopia is described, the major agro-ecological zones of Ethiopia is listed, and distribution of Vertisols and their associations in Ethiopia is shown. Also grain yields some food crops on Vertisols under traditional management in the central Ethiopian highlands and potential arable areas of Vertisols in the different thermal and growing period zones

Fasciolosis: Prevalence, financial losses due to liver condemnation and evaluation of a simple sedimentation diagnostic technique in cattle slaughtered at Hawassa Municipal abattoir, southern Ethiopia

This study was carried out from November 2007 to April 2008 to determine the prevalence of fasciolosis and costs incurred due to liver condemnation and evaluate the sensitivity of direct sedimentation method for diagnosis of fasciolosis in cattle slaughtered at Hawassa Municipal abattoir. A total of 3251 adult indigenous cattle were slaughtered at the abattoir during the study period, of which 931 animals (28.63%) were found to be positive for fasciolosis. There was a statistically significant (χ2 = 33.10; p = 0.004) variation in prevalence between the study months where the highest (35.6%) and lowest (21.03%) prevalence were recorded in February and April, respectively. Fasciola hepatica (58.9%) was the predominant fluke identified compared to F. gigantica (10.6%). Mixed infections by both species and unidentified immature flukes were detected in 14.7% and 15.8% of the affected livers, respectively. The mean fluke burden in the affected livers was 55 flukes per liver. As to the severity of infection, 36.63%, 52.31% and 11.06% were lightly, moderately and severely affected, respectively. Moderately affected livers showed the highest mean fluke count (69 ± 1.91) followed by severely (48 ± 1.71) and lightly affected ones (25 ± 1.75) signifying the presence of acquired resistance and local tissue reaction as chronicity of infection supervenes. Taking liver examination as gold standard for diagnosis of fasciolosis, the sensitivity of the direct sedimentation technique was found to be 67.13% and the specificity 100% with substantial agreement (k = 0.74) between the two methods. The financial loss due to liver condemnation was estimated to be 106,400 Ethiopian birr (8312.5 USD) per annum. In conclusion, the observation of such a level of infection in the dry season, high fluke pathogenicity and substantial financial loss associated with condemnation of infected livers warrants the institution of appropriate control measures. Keywords: Cattle, fasciolosis, financial loss, Hawassa abattoir, prevalence, southern Ethiopi

Reimagining self-determination: relational, decolonial, and intersectional perspectives

Self-determination language and practice are increasingly perplexing in the 21st century. Historically linked to decolonization processes and post-imperial transformations of the international system, self-determination has espoused both violent and non-violent resistance, and supported both existing and emergent sovereignty. With the Janus-faced relationship between self-determination and colonialism continuing to this day, the contemporary moment is an opportune time to take stock of self-determination. However, as conventional jurisprudence and international legalism framings have, in many ways, hampered its emancipatory potential, alternative ways of reimagining self-determination are needed. Bringing together scholars from the fields of political and development geography, indigenous studies, international relations, and sociology, this intervention demonstrates how articulations of self-determination in specific sites offer powerful critiques of the state system and the liberal world order and unsettle hegemonic forms of knowledge production. These articulations open up conceptual space to push self-determination beyond the realm of rights, allowing us to reimagine self-determination as a vision and practice, and to recover and reconceptualize the hopeful, emancipatory and aspirational politics that have always underpinned self-determination. This intervention seeks to re-envision self-determination from three novel and interlinked angles: decoloniality, intersectionality, and relationality. Drawing on a range of examples of contemporary and historical self-determination claims and contestations, each author focuses on one or more of these angles to examine the extent to which current practices of and visions for self-determination engender novel understandings of emancipation from ‘foreign’ domination and/or colonial systems of governance