Magnitude of Schistosoma mansoni and intestinal helminthic infections among school children in Wondo-Genet Zuria, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract: A cross-sectional study was conducted in April, 1994 to determine the prevalence of S. mansoni and other intestinal helminths among students of Wondo-Genet Zuria Elementary and Junior Secondary Schools, Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia. A questionnaire was used to list each of the study subjects and Formol-ether concentration method was used to analyze stool samples collected. From a total of 520 students examined 465 (89.4%) were positive for different intestinal helminthiasis while 157 (30.2%) were positive for S. mansoni. The infection rate among the study group is discussed and possible recommendation is made for future action. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1997;11(2):125-129

Epidemiology of low back pain among nurses working in public hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: Low back pain (LBP) related to Nursing Profession, is a very common public health problem throughout the world. Various risk factors have been implicated in the etiology and LBP is assumed to be of multi-factorial origin as individual, work-related and psychosocial factors can contribute to its development. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and to identify the risk factors of LBP among Nurses working in Addis Ababa City Public Hospitals, Ethiopia, in the year 2015. Addis Ababa University, Black-Lion (‘Tikur Anbessa’) Hospital-BLH, is the country’s highest tertiary level referral and teaching Hospital. The three departments in connection with this study: Radiology, Pathology and Orthopedics, run undergraduate and residency programs and receive referred patients from all over the country.Methods: A cross-sectional study with internal comparison was conducted throughout the period October-December, 2015. Sample was chosen by simple random sampling technique by taken the lists of Nurses from human resource departments as a sampling frame. A well-structured, pre-tested and selfadministered questionnaire was used to collect quantifiable information. The questionnaire included socio-demographic, back pain features, consequences of back pain, work-related and psychosocial factors. The collected data was entered in to epiinfo version 3.5.4 and was analyzed by SPSS. A probability level of 0.05 or less and 95% confidence level was used to indicate statistical significance. Ethical clearance was obtained from all respected administrative bodies, Hospitals and study participants.Results: The study included 395 Nurses and gave a response rate of 91.9%. The mean age was 30.6 (±8.4) years. Majority of the respondents were female (285, 72.2%). Nearly half of the participants (n=181, 45.8% (95% CI (40.8%- 50.6%))) were complained Low Back Pain. There were statistical significant association between Low Back Pain and working shift, physical activities at work; sleep disturbance and felt little pleasure by doing things.Conclusion: A high prevalence of Low Back Pain was found among Nurses working in Addis Ababa Public Hospitals. Recognition & Preventive measures like providing resting periods should be taken to reduce the risk of Low Back Pain in Nurses working in Public hospitalsKeywords: LBP Risk factors, Low back pain, Nurses, Work-Shift, and Public Hospital

Maternal Satisfaction towards Childhood Vaccine Services and Associated Factors in Public Health Facilities at Gondar, Ethiopia

Background & aim: Around the world, vaccinations avert 4-6 million deaths annually, emphasizing the importance of ensuring maternal satisfaction for effective disease prevention. However, data on maternal satisfaction with immunization programs in Ethiopia is lacking. This study aimed to determine maternal satisfaction towards childhood vaccine services and associated factors in public health facilities at Gondar, Ethiopia.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Gondar, Ethiopia, From May 1 to June 30, 2022. Data was collected from mothers visiting health facilities for immunization services. A two-stage random sampling technique was employed. Data was gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regressions were conducted using SPSS (version 23.0).Results: The prevalence of maternal satisfaction with childhood immunization services was 69.3%  [95%CI: 65.5–73.1%]. Of the mothers, 45.3% had adequate knowledge, while 43.9% had a favorable attitude. Study participants who were 19 to 24 years old [AOR = 5.29; 95%CI: 2.58, 10.86], time taken  less than one hour for a health facility [AOR = 3.03; 95%CI: 1.92, 4.77], and waiting  less than thirty minutes in a health facility [AOR = 1.98; 95%CI: 1.24, 3.15],  felt happy during the service [AOR = 4.00; 95%CI: 2.53, 6.34], had adequate knowledge [AOR = 2.91; 95%CI: 1.79, 4.73] and a favorable attitude [AOR=3.64;95%CI: 2.25,5.91)were significantly associated with maternal satisfaction during  childhood immunization services.Conclusion: Overall, mothers' satisfaction with the services provided for childhood vaccinations was quite low. Therefore, any interested parties must work harder on predictors to raise mothers' satisfaction with these services

Tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) Variety ‘Felagot’

አህፅሮት  ጤፍ በኢትዮጵያ ከሚመረቱ የብርዕና አገዳ ሰብሎች ዋነኛው ሲሆን ከ65 በመቶ   ለማያንስ ህዝብ ዋና የምግብ ሰብል በመሆን ያገለግላል፡፡ የጤፍ የዘር ቀለም ተለያይነት ያለው ሲሆን በአብዛኛው ነጭና ቡናማ/ቀይ አንዳንዴም ድብልቅ እና መካከለኛ የዘር ቀለም በየዓመቱ ከሶሰት ሚሊዮን ማሳ በላይ በመሸፈን ይመረታል፡፡ ይሁን እንጂ ከሌሎች ሰብሎች ጋር ሲወዳደር  ምርትና ምርታማነቱ ዝቅተኛ ነው፡፡ ለዚህም ዋና ዋና ምክንያት በመሆን የሚጠቀሰው የተሻሻሉ ዝርያዎች በበቂ ሁኔታ አለመኖር ነው፡፡ የዚህ ጥናት ዋና ዓላማ እየጨመረ የመጣውን የቡናማ/ቀይ ጤፍ ፍላጎት ለማሟላት በተለያየ የምርምር አሰራርና ሂደት የተገኘ የጤፍ ዝርያን በመፈተሽ የተሻለ ምርት የሚሰጥና በአርሶ አደሩና በተጠቃሚው ተመራጭ የሆነ ዝርያ ማፍለቅ ነበር፡፡ በጥናቱም አስራ ሁለት የተለያዩ የጤፍ ዓይነቶችን ጨምሮ  አንድ በቅርቡ የተለቀቀ እና አንድ የአካባቢ ዝርያን በማካተት በስድስት ወካይ ጤፍ አብቃይ ቦታዎች ላይ ተፈትሸው ፍላጎት (ደዘ-ክሮስ-442) የተባለው ቡናማ/ቀይ ዘር ቀለም ያለው ዝርያ ከሌሎች ማወዳደሪያ ዝርያዎች የተሻለ ውጤት በማስመዝገቡ በብሄራዊ የዝርያ አፅዳቂ ኮሚቴ ተገምግሞ ለምርት እንዲውል ተወስኗል፡፡ በተጨማሪም ይህ ዝርያ ቡናማ/ቀይ ዘር ቀለም ያለው ዝርያ ከተለቀቀ ከአስራ አምስት አመታት በኃላ የተገኘና የወደፊት የውጭ ገበያ ፍላጎትን ለሟሟላት ከፍተኛ አስተዋፅኦ ሊያበረክት የሚችል ነው፡፡ Abstract Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is the major cultivated cereal crop in Ethiopia and serves as staple food grain for over 65% of the population. The area under tef cultivation is over three million hectares of land each year. Depending on the type of seed color, tef grains are categorized into white and brown, while some admixtures and intermediate seed colors also exist. However, the productivity of tef is very low as compared to other cereals due, among others, to lack of high yielding varieties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of released brown seeded tef variety called Felagot and to provide unique morphological and agronomic descriptions of this new variety. Twelve genotypes resulting from two independent crossesnd breed for at least seven generations plus local and standard check varieties were tested over two years (2014 and 2015 main season) at six tef growing locations namely: Debre Zeit light soil, Debre Zeit Black soil, Minjar, Adet, Bichena and Holetta using randomized complete block design with four replications. The study found that Felagot (DZ-Cr-442/ RIL-77C) which was obtained from a cross between Quncho (the popular variety) and Gea Lammie (local cultivar) exceled the other genotypes and it was approved for release by the Ethiopian National Variety Release Committee in March 2017. The main advantages of Felagot over the other tested lines were its higher grain yield together with high straw yield and brown seed color. In addition, it was released under the brown seed category after one and half decades. Furthermore, it is anticipated that because of the brown seed color Felagot will command high external market preferences and prices, and thereby contribute for future tef export market

Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli infection, determinants and antimicrobial resistance patterns among under-five children with diarrhea in Amhara National Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia

Background: Children with under-five year age disproportionally affected with foodborne illness. Campylobacteriosis is the most common foodborne disease next to Norovirus infection. Macrolides are commonly prescribed as the first line of treatment for Campylobacter gastroenteritis, with fluoroquinolone and tetracycline as secondary options. However, resistance to these alternatives has been reported in various regions worldwide. Objective:To determine the prevalence, associated risk-factors and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli among under-five children with diarrhea. Methods: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from November, 2022 to April 2023. The study sites were selected using a random sampling technique, while the study subjects were included using a convenient sampling technique. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Stool samples were inoculated onto modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar and incubated for 48 hours. The suspected colonies were analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry to confirm the species. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using a disc diffusion technique. All potential covariates (independent variables) were analyzed one by one using bivariate logistic regression model to identify candidate variables with P value < 0.25. Multivariable logistic analysis was used to identify potential associated factors using the candidate variables. A p value ≤ 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval was statistically significant. Result: Among the 428 samples, 7.0% (CI: 4.5–9.3) were confirmed Campylobacter species. The prevalence of C. jejuni and C. coli among under-five children was 5.1% (CI: 3.0–7.0) and 1.9% (CI: 0.7–3.3), respectively. C. jejuni (73.3%) was dominant over C. coli (26.7%). The resident, contact with domestic animals, and parents/guardians education level were significantly associated with campylobacteriosis among under-five children. One-third of the Campylobacter isolates (33.3%, 10/30) were resistant to ciprofloxacin and tetracycline whereas 10.0% (3/30) were resistant to erythromycin. Furthermore, 3.3% (1/30) of the Campylobacter were found to be multidrug-resistant. Conclusion: The prevalence of Campylobacter species was 7.0%. The resistance rate of Campylobacter species of ciprofloxacin and tetracycline-resistance strains was 33.3%. Peri-urban residence, contact with domestic animals, and low parental educational statuses were significantly associated factors with increased risk of Campylobacter infection. Continuous surveillance on antimicrobial resistance and health education of personal and environmental hygiene should be implemented in the communit

Respectful maternity care in Ethiopian public health facilities

Background: Disrespect and abuse of women during institutional childbirth services is one of the deterrents to utilization of maternity care services in Ethiopia and other low- and middle-income countries. This paper describes the prevalence of respectful maternity care (RMC) and mistreatment of women in hospitals and health centers, and identifies factors associated with occurrence of RMC and mistreatment of women during institutional labor and childbirth services. Methods: This study had a cross sectional study design. Trained external observers assessed care provided to 240 women in 28 health centers and hospitals during labor and childbirth using structured observation checklists. The outcome variable, providers' RMC performance, was measured by nine behavioral descriptors. The outcome, any mistreatment, was measured by four items related to mistreatment of women: physical abuse, verbal abuse, absence of privacy during examination and abandonment. We present percentages of the nine RMC indicators, mean score of providers' RMC performance and the adjusted multilevel model regression coefficients to determine the association with a quality improvement program and other facility and provider characteristics. Results: Women on average received 5.9 (66%) of the nine recommended RMC practices. Health centers demonstrated higher RMC performance than hospitals. At least one form of mistreatment of women was committed in 36% of the observations (38% in health centers and 32% in hospitals). Higher likelihood of performing high level of RMC was found among male vs. female providers ((beta) over cap = 0: 65, p = 0.012), midwives vs. other cadres ((beta) over cap = 0: 88, p = 0.002), facilities implementing a quality improvement approach, Standards-based Management and Recognition (SBM-R (c)) ((beta) over cap = 1: 31, p = 0.003), and among laboring women accompanied by a companion (beta) over cap = 0: 99, p = 0.003). No factor was associated with observed mistreatment of women. Conclusion: Quality improvement using SBM-R (c) and having a companion during labor and delivery were associated with RMC. Policy makers need to consider the role of quality improvement approaches and accommodating companions in promoting RMC. More research is needed to identify the reason for superior RMC performance of male providers over female providers and midwives compared to other professional cadre, as are longitudinal studies of quality improvement on RMC and mistreatment of women during labor and childbirth services in public health facilities

Measuring socioeconomic inequalities in postnatal health checks for newborns in Ethiopia: a decomposition analysis

BackgroundAddressing health inequity is a top priority for achieving sustainable development goals. The existing evidences in Ethiopia have shown that there are substantial inequalities in the use of health services among various socioeconomic strata. Therefore, the present study aimed to measure socioeconomic inequalities and the contributing factors in postnatal health checks for newborns in Ethiopia.MethodsWe used a secondary data from the recent 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey dataset. The study includes a weighted sample of 2,105 women who gave birth in the 2 years preceding to the survey. The study participants were selected using two stage cluster sampling techniques. The socioeconomic inequality in postnatal health checks for newborns was measured using the Erreygers Normalized Concentration Index (ECI) and illustrated by the concentration curve. A decomposition analysis was done to identify factors contributing to the socioeconomic related inequality in postnatal health checks for newborns in Ethiopia.ResultsThe concentration curve of postnatal health checks for newborns lay below the line of equality, and the Erreygers normalized concentration index was 0.133, with a standard error = 0.0333, and a p value &lt;0.001; indicating that the postnatal health check for newborns was disproportionately concentrated among newborns with higher socioeconomic status. The decomposition analysis reported that antenatal care (ANC) visit (59.22%), household wealth index (34.43%), and educational level of the mother (8.58%) were the major contributors to the pro-rich socioeconomic inequalities in postnatal health checks for newborns.ConclusionThe finding revealed that there is a pro-rich inequality in postnatal health checks for newborns in Ethiopia. To reduce the observed socioeconomic health inequality, the government needs to improve ANC visits, implement strategies to access health service for economically disadvantaged groups, and increase educational attainment among women

Technology generation to dissemination:lessons learned from the tef improvement project

Indigenous crops also known as orphan crops are key contributors to food security, which is becoming increasingly vulnerable with the current trend of population growth and climate change. They have the major advantage that they fit well into the general socio-economic and ecological context of developing world agriculture. However, most indigenous crops did not benefit from the Green Revolution, which dramatically increased the yield of major crops such as wheat and rice. Here, we describe the Tef Improvement Project, which employs both conventional- and molecular-breeding techniques to improve tef\u2014an orphan crop important to the food security in the Horn of Africa, a region of the world with recurring devastating famines. We have established an efficient pipeline to bring improved tef lines from the laboratory to the farmers of Ethiopia. Of critical importance to the long-term success of this project is the cooperation among participants in Ethiopia and Switzerland, including donors, policy makers, research institutions, and farmers. Together, European and African scientists have developed a pipeline using breeding and genomic tools to improve the orphan crop tef and bring new cultivars to the farmers in Ethiopia. We highlight a new variety, Tesfa, developed in this pipeline and possessing a novel and desirable combination of traits. Tesfa\u2019s recent approval for release illustrates the success of the project and marks a milestone as it is the first variety (of many in the pipeline) to be released

Intestinal parasitosis and shigellosis among diarrheal patients in Gondar teaching hospital, northwest Ethiopia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diarrheal diseases are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in developing world. Understanding the etiologic agents of diarrheal diseases and their association with socio-demographic characteristics of patients would help to design better preventive measures. Thus, this study was aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites and enteropathogenic bacteria in diarrheic patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study involving 384 consecutive diarrheal patients who visited Gondar teaching hospital, Gondar, Ethiopia from October 2006 to March 2007 was conducted. Stool specimens were collected and examined for intestinal parasites and enteropathogenic bacteria following standard parasitological and microbiological procedures.</p> <p><b><it>Results</it></b></p> <p>Intestinal parasites were diagnosed in 36.5% of the patients. The most frequently encountered protozoan parasite was <it>Entamoeba histolytica/dispar </it>(7.3%) followed by <it>Giardia lamblia </it>(5.0%), C<it>ryptosporidium parvum </it>(1.8%) and <it>Isospora belli </it>(1.3%). The dominant helminthic parasite identified was <it>Ascaris lumbricoides </it>(5.5%) followed by <it>Strongyloides stercoralis </it>and <it>Schistosoma mansoni </it>(3.1% each), hookworm infection (1.8%), and <it>Hymenolepis </it>species (1.3%). Multiple infections of intestinal parasites were also observed in 6.3% of the patients. Among the enteropathogenic bacteria <it>Shigella </it>and <it>Salmonella </it>species were isolated from 15.6% and 1.6%, respectively, of the patients. <it>Escherichia coli O57:H7 </it>was not found in any of the stool samples tested. Eighty eight percent and 83.3% of the <it>Shigella </it>and <it>Salmonella </it>isolates were resistant to one or more commonly used antibiotics, respectively.</p> <p>Intestinal parasitosis was higher in patients who live in rural area, in patients who were washing their hands after visiting toilet either irregularly with soap and without soap or not at all, in patients who used well and spring water for household consumption, and in patients who had nausea (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Statistically significant associations were also observed between Shigella infections and patients who were using well and spring water for household consumption, and patients who had dysentery and mucoid stool (<it>P </it>< 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The high prevalence of intestinal parasites and <it>Shigella </it>species in diarrheic patients calls for institution of appropriate public health intervention measures to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases. The rational use of antibiotics should also be practiced.</p