Treatment-seeking behaviour for febrile illness in an area of seasonal malaria transmission in rural Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Very little is known about the management of malaria and treatment-seeking patterns among children and adults in areas of seasonal malaria transmission particularly in east Africa. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess treatment-seeking behaviour for reported malaria among all age groups in an area of seasonal transmission. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 2,253 households in 12 randomly selected rural kebeles in Adami Tulu district in south-central Ethiopia, during October-November 2003, using a pre-tested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Reported malaria was 14% among 12,225 people assessed during the last 14 days. Family/self-diagnosis was most common and the main first responses included visiting village-based community health workers (CHWs) (33%), public health facility (23%) and private clinic (17%). Home treatment was the least reported first response (3%). Only 13% had sought treatment within the first 24 hours of symptom onset. Early treatment-seeking pattern was reported among those who visited CHWs and practiced home treatment, with more delays among public facility users. Treatment-seeking behaviour was similar in all age groups. CONCLUSION: A considerable proportion of visits were made to CHWs and private providers, necessitating the importance of strengthening both community-based interventions and peripheral public and private facilities. Finally, the community should be informed and educated about the importance of early diagnosis and prompt treatment with effective antimalarials

Optimized Cluster Routing Protocol With Energy-Sustainable Mechanisms for Wireless Sensor Networks

Clustering algorithms have a key role in decreasing energy consumption and increasing network longevity in wireless sensor networks. This work advances on previous homogeneous and heterogeneous algorithms, including low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchical routing protocol (LEACH), distributed residual energy LEACH (DIS-RES-EL), residual energy LEACH (RES-EL), energy efficient LEACH (EEL), and stable election protocol (SEP), by introducing novel clustering methodologies. It introduces novel improved residual energy LEACH (IMP-RES-EL) and energy efficient stable election protocol (EE-SEP) to improve the efficiency of clustering algorithms in energy savings for homogeneous and heterogeneous wireless sensor networks. The simulation result shows that, in addition to prolonging network lifetime and optimal routing, these methods transported more data packets from the cluster to sensor nodes and then to base stations than other techniques. When compared to the stable election protocol (SEP), the proposed energy-efficient stable election protocol (EE-SEP) influences the number of bunch heads formed over their lifetime, the organization’s stability, the number of nodes shipped off the base station from each cluster head, and the organization’s overall lifetime. When comparing the two current algorithms, EE-SEP and LEACH, for various topologies, the findings demonstrate that EE-SEP is the most energy efficient directing convention for extending the previously described qualities. This attribute has not been discussed thus far. The results also show that the IMP-RES-EL algorithm successfully increases network lifespan while minimizing energy dissipation and transmissions between sensor nodes and base stations or cluster heads (CHs). For all of the suggested homogeneous and heterogeneous algorithms, network lifetime in rounds rose by 36%, aggregated data packets from CHs to BS increased by 44%, and total data packets to BSs improved by 20%

Hematological Parameters of Gasoline Station Workers at Hosanna Town, Southwest Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Tamirat Ersino Kebamo,1 Tilahun Yemane,2 Mesay Arkew,3 Getachew Alemu Walano,1 Abinet Tantu,1 Ageze Abose,4 Kassahun Haile,5 Solomon Gebre Bawore,4 Girum Tesfaye Kiya2 1School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia; 2School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia; 3School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia; 4Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wachamo University, Hassana, Ethiopia; 5Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wolkite University, Wolkite, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Tamirat Ersino Kebamo, School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Wolaita Sodo University, P.O. Box: 138, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia, Tel +251919675172, Email [email protected]: Human exposure to benzene is associated with many adverse health effects. It is mainly related to impairment of the hematopoietic system and bone marrow suppression, causing abnormalities in hematological parameters. However, the reports obtained from different studies are contradictory, and there are little data regarding the hematological parameters of gas station workers in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the hematological parameters of gas station workers in Hosanna town, southwest Ethiopia, from May 01 to June 15, 2020.Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted by involving 180 (60 gas-stations workers and 120 controls) participants. Socio-demographic and related data of the study participants were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire through face-to-face-interviews. All phases of quality assurance were maintained, and hematological parameters were determined using Uni-Cel DxH 800 automated hematological analyzer. Independent sample T-test, Mann–Whitney U-test, and one-way ANOVA were used for data analysis. Statistical significance was declared at P< 0.05.Results: Statistically significant difference was observed in hematological parameters of gasoline-workers and control groups. The mean of red blood cell count among gasoline-workers was significantly reduced as compared to control groups (p=0.007). In addition, the median of hemoglobin levels among gasoline-workers was significantly decreased as compared to the control groups (p=0.001). In contrast, a significant increase was observed in median of absolute eosinophil count among the gasoline-workers as compared to control groups (p=0.01). The mean of mean cell volume was significantly decreased with respect to the duration of work experience (p=0.04).Conclusion: In this study, a statistically significant difference was observed in some hematological parameters of gas station workers compared to the control group. Therefore, medical observation and periodic medical check-ups of the hematological profile should be considered to prevent the development of medical complications.Keywords: benzene, Ethiopia, gasoline workers, hematological parameters, Hossan

The impact of indoor residual spraying on malaria incidence in East Shoa Zone, Ethiopia

Background: In Ethiopia, nearly 70% of the population resides in areas prone to malaria infection. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of indoor residual spraying (IRS) on the incidence of malaria in East Shoa Zone of Ethiopia.Methods: Data from the registers of malaria cases at Debrezeit Malaria Control Center in East Shoa Zone of Ethiopia were collected and analyzed. Records of 22 villages with no previous rounds of spraying that were entirely covered with IRS using DDT during the peak malaria transmission season of 2001 and 2002 and other 22 adjacent villages with similar malaria incidence but remained unsprayed were used for the analyses.Results: The incidence of malaria in 2011 and 2002 among the sprayed villages was lower than the respective preceding years for both Plasmodium species (incidence rate ratio 0.60; CI 0.35 to 0.95; p &#60; 0.0001). After the focal spray, there was significant reduction in malaria incidence in the villages sprayed. Spraying was associated with a 62% reduction in malaria incidence.Conclusions: This study demonstrated that IRS with DDT was effective in reducing malaria incidence in highland epidemic-prone areas in the East Shoa Zone of Ethiopia. A larger scale study should evaluate the effectiveness of DDT in reducing malaria incidence against its environmental impact and alternative strategies for malaria prevention