Plant community analysis and ecology of afromontane and transitional rainforest vegetation of Southwestern Ethiopia

The plant communities of the forests of southwestern Ethiopia were described based on floristic analysis of the data collected between February 1995 and May 1996. Floristic analysis is based on the cover-abundance values of both woody and herbaceous species. Plant community-environment relationship was assessed based on topog raphic and some soil physical and chemical characteristics. A total of 101 relevés were analysed at altitudes between 1050 and 2550 m a.s.l. (metres above sea level), and a total of 139 species of vascular plants were identified. Nine plant community types were described. Most of these show significant variations for most of the environmental parameters studied. The species in the forest were phytogeographically related to the Afromontane, Guineo-Congolean or Guineo-Congolean linking species. Key words/phrases: Afromontane, classification, Ethiopia, plant community, transitional rainforest SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science Vol.25(2) 2002: 155-17

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana Angetu District, South Eastern Ethiopia

This study documents indigenous medicinal plant utilization, management and the threats affecting them. The study was carried out in Mana Angetu district between January 2003 and December 2004. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi structured interviews, field observations, preference and direct matrix ranking with traditional medicine practitioners. The ethnomedicinal use of 230 plant species was documented in the study area. Most of the plants (78.7%) were reportedly used to treat human diseases. The most frequently used plant part were roots (33.9%), followed by leaves (25.6%). Most of the medicinal species (90.4%) were collected from the wild. Direct matrix analysis showed that Olea europaea L. Subsp. cuspidata (Wall. ex G. Don) was the most important species followed by Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne (120) indicating high utility value of these species for the local community. The principal threatening factors reported were deforestation (90%), agricultural expansion (85%) and fire (53%). Documenting the eroding plants and associated indigenous knowledge can be used as a basis for developing management plans for conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants in the area

The undifferentiated afromontane forest of Denkoro in the central highland of Ethiopia: a floristic and structural analysis

The floristic composition and vegetation structure of Denkoro forest, South Wello Zone of Amhara Region, N. Ethiopia, were described during November–December, 2002. A total of 95 sample plots were analysed, and 174 species of vascular plants representing 66 families were recorded. Out of these, 41 species were new records reported for the first time from Wello. Eleven endemic species, which are included in the IUCN Red List categories, have been recorded. Based on the results of vegetation classification, six clusters were recognized and designated as local plant community types: 1) Erica arborea - Hypericum revolutum, 2) Myrsine melanophloeos - Dombeya torrida, 3) Myrsine africana – Maesa lanceolata – Prunus africana, 4) Olinia rochetiana – Olea europaea, 5) Olinia rochetiana – Allophylus abyssinicus – Apodytes dimidiata, and 6) Maytenus gracilipes – Teclea nobilis. Structural analysis of the forest showed the density of individuals > 10 cm DBH to be almost twice as that of individuals with DBH >20 cm. A higher proportion of woody individuals (ca. 65%) fell in the low height classes (i.e., < 12 m). Analysis of population structure revealed five patterns, depicting the species dynamics in the forest. When compared with other forests in Ethiopia, Denkoro forest shows similarity to the dry evergreen montane forests of the Central Plateau than those elsewhere. SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science Vol. 29(1) 2006: 45–5

Floristic composition and structure of the dry Afromontane forest at Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

The floristic composition and structure of the Dry Afromontane Forest at Bale Mountains National Park was studied from July 2003 to June 2004. A total of 90 plots were established at three sites (Adelle, Boditi and Gaysay) at an altitudinal range of 3010–3410 m. The cover abundance values, density, and diameter at breast height and list of species were recorded in each plot. About 230 species belonging to 157 genera and 58 families were identified and documented. Analysis of vegetation data revealed 5 homogenous clusters. The densities of trees in the diameter class >2 cm were 766 and 458 individuals ha-1in Adelle and Boditi forests, respectively. The basal areas were about 26 and 23 m2ha-1 in Adelle and Boditi forests, respectively. About 43% of the basal area in Adelle and 57 in Boditi forests were contributed by Juniperus procera and Hagenia abyssinica, respectively. Both Adelle and Boditi forests were found at an earlier secondary stage of development and had, more or less, a similar trend of development. The population structures of tree species were assessed and these had clearly signalled the occurrence of excessive cutting of selected diameter classes of ecologically, economically and medically important tree species for various purposes, particularly for construction

Thyroid Hormone Tests Ordering Practice and Cost-Effectiveness in Samples Referred to International Clinical Laboratories from Addis Ababa Health Facilities

BACKGROUND: Thyroid dysfunction accounts for majority of endocrine disorders. In sub-Saharan Africa Graves’ disease and hypothyroidism have accounted for 13.1% and 8.8% while the burden of thyroid disorder has ranged from 6.18 to47.34% among countries in the Arab world. The cost for a primary thyroid test done to evaluate the gland function constituted a large proportion of the public health budget. For instance, 10 million thyroid functions have been done each year by laboratories which cost 30 million UK pounds, and they represent 8% of laboratory charge in the US. When a TSH-only protocol (guideline) was used, 95% of the requests were sufficient for diagnosis without requiring further tests, thereby resulting in 50% savings on FT4 reagent and reducing the annual TFT reagent cost by 25%. This is an original study, and its objective was to assess the ordering pattern of TSH tests and their cost-effectiveness in patients’ samples referred to ICL from Addis Ababa health facilities between July2015 to June 2016METHOD: An institution-based cross-sectional study design was utilized to study the ordering pattern of thyroid function tests using one-year retrospective data from ICL.RESULTS: Thyroid profiles were ordered more frequently (49.5%) compared to TSH only (24.3%). An additional 2625.70 USD was paid by patients for individual components in the profile tests that turned out normal.CONCLUSION: Guidelines advocate TSH as the initial test for thyroid dysfunction, but the use of a combination of tests is more common

Delay of emergency surgical interventions in Ethiopia: Patient and health system factors

Background: The objectives of this study were to evaluate outcomes among patients with acute abdomen and abdominal trauma who presented at either of 2 referral hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and to determine the factors associated with delay as well as the effects of prehospital and in-hospital delay on outcome. Methods: We conducted a 1-year prospective cross-sectional study, which included all cases of surgically treated acute abdomen and abdominal trauma admitted to St Paul General Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Gondar University Hospital, Gondar, Ethiopia. Standardized data collection forms were completed for all cases from 1 May 2008 to 30 April 2009. Data were analyzed using Epi Info version 6 and SPSS version 13. Results: A total of 504 patients were studied. Diagnoses were: intestinal obstruction (34.6 %), appendicitis (33 %), and perforated peptic ulcer (3.6 %). Sixty-six percent of patients over 45 years of age, 60% of females, and 61% of intestinal obstruction cases were operated on within 3 days of illness onset. The 35% of patients who were operated on more than 3 days after the development of symptoms had a mortality of 67%. Fifty-four percent of the cases with a total prehospital and in-hospital time of more than 3 days had initially visited other health institutions. Conclusions: Delay of surgical intervention of more than 3 days for acute abdomen or abdominal trauma adversely affected outcomes. Women, patients older than 45 years of age, patients with intestinal obstruction, and those who were referred from other health facilities were delayed and had adverse outcomes. Keywords: delay in surgery; acute abdomen; abdominal trauma; surgical systems improvement

Training Workshop on Numerical Weather Prediction to Improve Forecasting and Analysis of Meteorological and Earth Observations Datasets in Southern Africa Region

It is a well-established fact that anthropogenic climate change is amplifying the natural climate variability and extreme events (IPCC-AR6, 2018)1 . The IPCC-AR6 report confirms that climate change affected and will continue to affect African economy and society negatively although it contributes less than 4 percent of global emissions. It also indicated that Africa is warming faster than the global average where certain parts of Africa could warm up by 2.6–4.8°C by 2050. The same report highlighted that hydro-meteorological hazards due to climate change and variability (e.g., droughts, floods, windstorms, tropical cyclones, landslides and wildfire) will increase in the continent, with evidence of greater damage to the economy, ecosystem and society. The coastal systems and low-lying areas of Africa are particularly sensitive to changes in sea level, ocean temperature and ocean acidification. Consequently, extreme weather is listed as the second most severe risk on a global scale over the next 10 years in the Global Risk Report 2022 of the World Economic Forum2 . The improved early warning systems using various models including the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) can, therefore, assist with mitigating the severity of disasters associated with climate extreme events by improving both the accuracy and the lead-time of weather forecasts

Elimination of Guinea Worm Disease in Ethiopia; current status of the diseases, eradication strategies and challenges to the endgame

Background: Dracunculiasis, also named Guinea Worm Disease (GWD), is one of the diseases listed under Neglected Tropical Diseases caused by a parasitic nematode known as Dracunculus medinensis. Given, its feasibility for eradication, the Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP) was launched in 1980 with the aim of eradicating the disease. This paper reviews the current status of the global Guinea worm eradication in Ethiopia and intervention strategies. Methods: Published papers related to infectious diseases elimination, particularly of GWD were extracted from PubMed, WHO, CDC, and Google Scholar. Of these, the CDC website, WHO online atlas (GW data store) and recent data from EDEP were extensively used. Results: In Ethiopia, the Ethiopian EDEP which was established in 1993 has made remarkable move towards interruption of disease transmission and now the endgame is fast approaching. The EDEP with support mainly from partners has reduced GWD by more than 99% from 1994 to 2015. In 2016, 3 human cases, 14 dogs and 2 baboon infections were reported. Refugee influx from the Republic of South Sudan, increased animal infections with unknown role in transmission of Dracunculiasis, the presence of hard to reach communities and lack of safe water sources in remote non-village areas remain among important challenges at this final stage of GWD eradication in Ethiopia. Conclusion: Eradication strategies encompassing community education for behavioral change including raising awareness towards cash reward for reporting Guniea Worm Disease (GWD) and animal infection, case containment, surveillance systems, provision of safe water supply, and ABATE chemical application are discussed

Climate Change Disproportionately Hits Women Farmers

▪ The effect of climate change is manifested by increased frequency, duration and intensity of extreme weather and climate events that include unexpected, unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather conditions. ▪ These primarily range from increases in seasonal temperature involving heat waves, dry spells, and water stress, as well as cold(frost) and changes in the precipitation patterns, including rainfall intensities and flush floods. ▪ The effects of extreme weather events are seen in rising economic (production) costs, loss of livestock (human) lives, droughts, floods, landslides, and salient changes in ago-ecosystems. ▪ These results in reduced crop yield, crop failure, reduced soil fertility, loss of vegetation cover, livestock number reduction and land degradation, among other factors. ▪ Women and men experience the impacts of climate change differently, but considering the existing gender inequalities, these climate crises pose more threats to women and young girls than men. ▪ Climate change is burdening women to provide energy, water and food for their families and livestock. ▪ Accordingly, the analysis indicated that women excessively suffer the impacts of climate disasters, as they are more exposed, sensitive and have low adaptive capacity