Critical Review on the Relationship Between Religion and Human Rights: In Perspective of Either in Protection or Violation of Human Rights

This paper basically emphasized on critical review on the relationship between religion and human rights either in protection or violation of human rights. This is about the place of religion in human rights provision and the place of human rights provision in religion. The basic elements of the reviews are the place of religion in human rights: can religious value promoting human rights? The negative facets of religion to human rights: is religion an impediment to human rights promotion? Freedom of religion and religious choice, equality and non-discrimination gender distinctions, capital punishment framework, the place of human rights in the promotion religion the negative aspects of human rights in religion: is the human rights threat to religion? And religions and the international human rights instruments. To address this issues the utilized method was document analysis and related literatures on the issue in hand. Keywords: Religion, Human Right

Comparative studies on two culture methods for hookworm species identification

Abstract: Ninety stool specimens obtained from patients referred to the National Research Institute of Health and found to reveal hookworm ova were cultured using the Test Tube Filter Paper and the Charcoal methods with a view to recover and identify the third stage larvae. Infective larvae were harvested in a total of 88(97.8%) specimens, 79(87.8%) of which were detected by both methods. Only 5(5.6%) and 4(4.4%) were exclusively detected by the Test Tube and Charcoal methods, respectively. Except in one specimen where filariforms of both species (Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale) were encountered, N.americanus was dominant. Both methods exhibited no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the development capacity of third stage larvae. The importance of culturing hookworm species in relation to the understanding of species dominance and the merits and demerits of both methods are discussed.[Ethiop. J. Health Dev.1995;9(3):189-191

Development and evaluation of Indirect Hemagglutination Antibody Test (IHAT) for serological diagnosis and screening of bovine cysticercosis in Ethiopia

The study was conducted to develop and evaluate an Indirect Hemagglutination Antibody Test (IHAT) for the serological diagnosis of Cysticercus bovis in live animals. IHAT was set-up in-house and used to test serum samples of cattle against sheep red blood cell (SRBC) coated with crude extracts of C. bovis cyst. Serum samples for screening were collected from Addis Ababa abattoir (n=522), a dairy farm from the suburbs of Addis Ababa (n=101), and a traditional extensive farm (n=109). Postmortem inspection was conducted on a total of 522 animals slaughtered in Addis Ababa Abattoir, out of which 39 (7.5%) were positive for C. bovis.  Thirty-seven of these had viable C. bovis cysts. IHAT titres were determined from serially diluted sera, with a cut-off value set at a titre of 1:64. Cross reaction with other helminths was either absent or very low.  Sensitivity and specificity of the IHAT were 100% and at least 90%, respectively. Based on this test, 149 cattle (28.5%) from the Abattoir, 33 cattle (30.3%) from the extensive farm and 8 cattle (7.9%) from the dairy farm were positive for C. bovis. The difference in prevalence between the dairy farm and extensive farm was significant (

Phenotypic Characterization of Camels and their Production System in Yabello and Melka Soda Districts,

 አህፅሮት የዚህ ጥናት ዋና ዓሊማ በያቤልና መሌካሶዳ ወረዳዎች በሚገኙ ግመልች ውጪያዊ ባህሪያቸውን በመጠንና በብዛት መሇየት መሠረት ያደረገ ነበር፡፡ በዚህም መሠረት ከሁሇቱ ወረዳዎች ከሚኖሩት አርብቶ አደሮች ሇውጫዊ ባህርይ ትንተና ጥናት 192 አባወራዎችና 3ዏዏ ግመልች በነሲብ ተመርጠዋሌ፡፡ በመሌካሶዳ የሚገኙ ግመልች ከፍተኛና ጉሌህ የሆነ ሌዩነት ከያቤል ግመልች ማሇትም ደረት ዙር፣ በደረት ስፋት፣ በሰውነት ክብደት፣ በሸንጥ/ዳላ ስፋት፣ በደረት ጥሌቀት፣ በጉብሌ ዙሮሽ እንደሚበሌጡ ጥናቱ አመሌክቷሌ፡፡ የግመልች ፆታ ሌዩነት (ወንድና ሴት ግመሌ) በተመሇከተ የፊት እግር ርዝመት፣ የኃሊ እግር ርዝመት፣ የጫንቃ ከፍታ፣ የደረት ዙር፣ የሆድ ስፋት ዙር፣ የሰውነት ክብደት፣ የደረት ስፋት፣ ሻኛ/ጉበሌ ዙሮሽ፣ ሻኛ/ጉበሌ ርዝመት፣ የፊት ሾከና ዙር/ስፋት፣ የኋሊ ሾከና ዙር/ስፋት ሌዩነት እንዳሊቸው ከጥናቱ ሇመረዳት ተችሎሌ፡፡ በጥናቱ የግመልች ዕድሜ መጠን ከሁለም የሰውነት ክብደት ሌኬቶች ጋር ጉሌህ የሆነ ሌዩነት እዳሇው ሇመገንዘብ ተችሎሌ፡፡ በተጨማሪ የደረት ስፋትና የደረት ጥሌቀት ተሇዋዋጭ ሌኬት ሇሰውነት ክብደት ውጫዊ ገጽታ መሇኪያነት ሉያገሇግለ ይችሊለ፡፡ የወንድ ግመልች እክብ ናሙና በቀጥታ ሇሰውነት መሇኪያዎች ማሇትም የደረት ዙርና ሆድ ዙር/ስፋት ጠንካራ አዎንታዊ ዝምድና (r=0.03) ከሰውነት ክብደት ጋር አሊቸው፡፡ የሴት ግመልች ክብደት ጠንካራ አዎንታዊና (P<0.05) ጉሌህ ዝምድና ከደረት ዙር (r=0.95) ጋር አሇው፡፡ የዚህ የግመልች ውጪአዊ እይታ መረጃ በዋነኛነት ሇግመልች ዝርያ ጥበቃ ሇድቀሊና ሇመረጣ በሥነ-ባህርይ ትንተና በተደገፇ እስትራተጂ ሉያገሇግሌ ይችሊሌ፡፡ በተጨማሪ በቦረናና አካባቢ እንዲሁም በላልች የሀገሪቱ ክፍልች የሚኙትን ማህበረሰብ የግመልችን የምርት ውጤት ፍሊጐት ሇሟሟሊት ከፍተኛ ትኩረት በመስጠት በግመልች ሊይ ብዙ መሠረት እንዳሇበት ይጠቁማሌ፡፡ ይህ ጥናት በያቤልና በመሌካ ሶዳ አካባቢ የሚገኙትን የግመሌ ሀብት ሇወደፊት ዝርያቸውን ሇማሻሻሌና ሇመጠበቅ በሚደረገው እንቅስቃሴ በዋነኛነት እንደ መረጃ ሉያገሇግሌ ይችሊሌ፡፡AbstractThe objectives of the study were to characterize the production system of camel in Yabello and Melka Soda districts and to characterize phenotypically camel based on quantitative and qualitative traits. A total of 192 households were selected for characterization of the production system and 300 camels were sampled randomly for characterization of phenotypic traits. Camels of Melka Soda had significantly higher in heart girth, barrel girth, body weight, hip width, chest depth and hump circumference (P<0.05) than Yabello camels. Sex of the camels had significant (P<0.05) effect on forelimb length, hind limb length, wither height, heart girth, barrel girth, body weight, chest width, hump circumference, hump length, fore hoof circumference and hind hoof circumference. Body weight and all the body measurements were significantly (P<0.05) affected by age. Heart girth and barrel girth were found to be the most important variables for estimation of body weight in camels. In male sample populations of linear body measurements, heart girth and barrel girth had strong positive correlation (r=0.93) with body weight. In female sample camels body weight had strong positive and significant (P<0.05) correlation with heart girth (r=0.95). This phenotypic information can serve as a basis for designing appropriate conservation, breeding and selection strategies for camels in the study area and could be complemented with genetic analyses. Thus attention should be given to exploit the performance of camels based on their specialization to fulfill the current demand of camel and camel by-products in the Borena and also in different parts of the country. The present study can be used to understand the camel resources of the study sites for future genetic improvement and conservation actions

Regional groundwater flow system characterization of volcanic aquifers in upper Awash using multiple approaches, central Ethiopia

Characterization of the groundwater flow systems is important for sustainable water resource management decision-making. We have used vertical profiles of electrical conductivity (EC) and water temperature taken at 2 m intervals during drilling of 109 boreholes, and samples for stable isotope analysis (δ18O, δ2H) taken from 47 boreholes to characterize groundwater recharge, flow and discharge. 222Rn measurements and piezometric evidence were used to complement results from the EC and stable isotopes. The converging evidence shows that groundwater in the study area is characterized by a mix of two different groundwater flow systems: i) the deep groundwater systems are connected to the regional groundwater flow originating from the highlands, outside the surface water basin, ii) the shallow groundwater systems get recharge from local rains. The local recharge zones are located in highly urbanized and industrialized zones posing risk to recharge reduction and pollution. Therefore, attention should be given to protect groundwater resources from contamination and increase groundwater resilience to climate change

The human trypanosomiasis situation in Gambella, south western Ethiopia

Abstract: Surveillance of human trypanosomiasis was carried out in Gambella, an endemic region of South Western Ethiopia. The study was conducted in March 1993, October 1993 and April 1994 with the major objective of investigation of the sleeping sickness infection and its vector status in the area. In the present survey no parasitologically confirmed case was detected. The main vectors of the disease, Glossina pallidipes and G. tachinoides in wooded savanna and forest area and G. fuscipes in riverain vegetation, were commonly encountered. Eventhough there were no parasitologically proven cases of sleeping sickness infection due to prolonged combined effect of ecological, climatic and human interference, the presence of potential vectors, Glossina species specially along the major river banks, ecological rehabilitation of the area to its previous conditions and the invasion of the game animals might give way to the reappearance of the parasite, T. b. rhodesiense. Thus, regular active surveillance of the endemic region is of great importance to control the disease at an early stage before the appearance of epidemics which could be more costly financially as well as in human life. Specific ecological requirements and feeding habits of Glossina species, specially of G. morsitans, which was not found in this survey, need further investigation. A comprehensive study on community awareness about sleeping sickness and its vector is also recommended to support future control measures. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1997;11(1):23-28

MASS TREATMENT OF ONCHOCERCIASIS WITH IVERMECT AT BEBEKA COFFEE PLANTATION IN ETHIOPIA

ABSTRACT: A longitudinal study of mass treatment of onchocerciasis with ivermectin is going on at Bebeka Coffee Plantation in Ethiopia. In this paper we report findings of a pilot study conducted at the initial stage of the project to assess safety and feasibility of launching mass-therapy using this drug. Of 2083 persons examined between 23 and 30 April 1990, in two sub-localities, Berhane and Olme, in Bebeka Coffee Plantation, 826 (39.7%) persons were diagnosed as cases of onchocerciasis by clinical and skin snip examinations. Ivermectin was then administered to 640 persons eligible for treatment. Following treatment no severe adverse reactions were observed and only 51 cases, (8%), sought treatment for mild to moderate mazzoti type reactions and 7 of them (1%) had temporary incapacitation. In addition, 27 cases were systematically selected, among those treated on the first and second day, and examined daily for 4 days and pattern of adverse responses were noted. Over all therapy was well accepted

Assessment of the infection rate of onchocerciasis in the resettled and indigenous communities of Asossa, Western Ethiopia

Abstract: An attempt was made to determine the infection rate of onchocerciasis in the resettled and indigenous communities of Asossa. A total of 931 persons consisting of 548 settlers and 383 indigenous population, aged five years and over were examined parasitologically for the presence of Onchocerca microfilaria in a skin snip, and 11.1% of the resettled population and 31.3% of the indigenous population were found infected with the parasite. The total mean number of microfilariae per mg of skin snip at the buttock was 15.3. The clinical manifestations recorded include skin atrophy, skin depigmentation, pruritus and presence of nodules at a rate of 15.5%, 20.4%,44.8%, and 1.7%, respectively, among the positives. No visual impairment difference between the positives and negatives was seen and blindness due to onchocerciasis was not detected. Blackfly collection and identification around the near-by rivers indicated the presence of the anthropophilic vector Simulium damnosum s.l. The results recorded for the resettled communities clearly indicated disease propagation in the resettled population who came from areas of the country non-endemic for onchocerciasis in 1984. [Ethiop. I. Health Dev. 1996;10(2):89-95

Occurrence of bovine hydatidosis and evaluation of its risk to humans in traditional communities of Southern Region of Ethiopia

Background: Cystic Echinococcosis/ Hydatid Disease, is an infection caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, one of the most widespread parasitic zoonoses.Objective: To determine the occurrence, localization and fertility/sterility rates of hydatid cyst in cattle, to determine the prevalence of adult E. granulosus in dogs and asses the risk for human infection in traditional communities.Methods: Postmortem examination, hydatid cyst characterization,  questionnaire survey and dog stool sample examination were carried out.Results: Of the total 320 ruminants examined at backyard slaughtering, 151 (47.2%) were found harboring hydatid cysts. The liver and lungs were the two main infected organs, 34.4% and 52.3%, respectively. The majority of the cysts found were small, 54.3%, and medium, 37.7%. From the total number of cysts found, 70.2% were sterile, while 29.8% were fertile. A questionnaire survey revealed that local people were unaware of the life cycle of E. granulosus and the perpetuation of its life cycle by their cultural and traditional practices. Dogs have intimate contact with humansand other domestic animals, share the same house and also dogs do not have access for veterinary care. Stool samples of 62 dogs were collected and analyzed with a 30% prevalence of taenia infection confirmed to be E. granulosus.Conclusion: Because of the high prevalence of E. granulosus infection in dogs and hydatidosis in cattle as well as common practice of backyard slaughtering, the risk of human infection in traditional communities is suspected to be high and requires immediate attention to study the status of cystic ehinococcosis in the human population of the study area.[Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2012;26(1):43-48

Prevalence of lipodystrophy and metabolic syndrome among HIV positive individuals on Highly Active Anti-Retroviral treatment in Jimma, South West Ethiopia

Introduction: Use of highly active antiretroviral therapy has led to significant reductions in morbidity and mortality rates. However, these agents had also given rise to the metabolic and morphologic abnormalities which are modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Evidences elsewhere indicate growing in prevalence of these problems but studies are lacking in Ethiopia. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of HIVassociated lipodystrophy and metabolic syndrome in patients taking highly active antiretroviral therapy. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2010 on a sample of 313 patients taking highly active antiretroviral therapy in Jimma University specialized hospital. Structured questionnaire was used to assess patients' sociodemographic characteristics and clinical manifestations of metabolic abnormalities. Checklists were used for reviewing charts about clinical manifestations of metabolic abnormalities and immunologic profile of patients. Data was cleaned, entered in and analyzed using SPSS for windows version 16.0. Results: Metabolic syndrome was detected in 21.1% and HIV-lipodystrophy was detected 12.1% of patients. The factors found to be independently associated with metabolic syndrome were taking the antiretroviral therapy for more than 12 months (AOR=4.2; 95% CI=1.24-14.23) and female sex (AOR= 2.30; 95% CI=1.0-5.27) and the factor found to be independently associated with HIV-lipodystrophy was taking the antiretroviral therapy (AOR=3.59; 95% CI=1.03-12.54) for more than 12 months. Conclusion: Metabolic abnormalities were relatively common in the study population. The problems were higher among those who took anti-retroviral treatment for longer duration. Therefore, regular screening for and taking action against the metabolic abnormalities is mandatory.Pan African Medical Journal 2012; 13:4