Human-Wildlife Conflict in and Around Borena Sayint National Park, Northern Ethiopia

We identified causes, impact, and traditional management measures of human– wildlife conflict (HWC) in and around Borena Sayint National Park, Ethiopia. We employed questionnaires, focus group discussions, direct observations, and key informant interviews to collect data. The respondents perceived an increase in the number of wildlife population (56 respondents; 42.4%) followed by human proximity to park areas (44 respondents; 33.3%) as the main causes of HWC. The respondents perceived leopards (Panthera pardus) and spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) among the top livestock depredators while grivet monkeys (Cercopethicus aethiops) and porcupines (Hystrix cristata) were perceived as notorious crop raiders. Gelada baboons (Theropithecus gelada) were identified as both crop raiding and livestock depredator wildlife species. A majority of the respondents (113; 85.6%) perceived both crop and livestock damage as impact of wildlife on humans. Guarding was reported as the main traditional measure of conflict management. The incidents have caused economic loss to the livelihood of the local community and have adverse impacts on wildlife conservation. We recommend community-based ecotourism to mitigate the conflict

Restriction Site Associated DNA Sequencing based Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Discovery in Selected Tef (Eragrostis tef) and Wild Eragrostis Species

አህፅሮት ጤፍ በኢትዮጵያ የተገኘ እና በኢትዮጵያዊያን አርሶአደሮች ለብዙ አመታት ሲመረት የኖረ ዘርፈ ብዙ ጥቅሞች ያሉት የሰብል አይነት ነዉ፡፡ ጤፍ የሚመረተውና ጥቅም ላይ የሚውለው በአብዛኛው በኢትዮጵያ በመሆኑ በአለም አቀፍ ደረጃ ጤፍ ላይ የሚደረጉ ምርምሮች ውሱን ናቸው፡፡  በተለይ የጤፍን ምርምር ለማሳለጥ የተዘጋጁ የሞለኪውላር ሳይንስ ግብአቶች ውሱን በመሆናቸው በሌሎች ሰብሎች ላይ ጥቅም ላይ የዋሉ የዲ ኤን ኤ ሲኩዌንሲንግ ቴክኖሎጂን መሰረት ያደረጉ የምርምር አቅጣጫዎችን መከተል ወሳኝ ነው፡፡  እዚህ በቀረበው  የምርምር ስራ የዲ ኤን ኤ ሲኩዌንሲንግ ቴክኖሎጂን መሰረት ያደረገን የምርምር ስልት በመከተል ከአገሪቱ የተለያዩ አካባቢዎች የተሰበሰቡ አርባ ሁለት የጤፍ ዝርያዎች፡ አንድ ሚውታንት ላይን እና ሁለት ለጤፍ ቅርብ የሆኑ ዋይልድ ሬላቲቭስ ላይ ጥናት ተደርጎ የጤፍን ምርምር በዘመናዊ መልኩ የሚያግዙ ግብአቶች ተገኝተዋል፡፡ Abstract Genome-wide knowledge about the nature and extent of genetic diversity present in tef (Eragrostis tef), the most consumed food grain in Ethiopia is limited. Adopting next generation sequencing (NGS) protocols to enhance its genomics and breeding is essential. Here, we applied the Restriction Site Associated DNA (RAD) sequencing protocol and surveyed the genomes of 43 tef landraces, one mutant line and two wild Eragrostis species. After mapping sequencing reads to the de novo assembled unitag and the tef reference genome, a total of 9,024 and 58,735 high quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, respectively. We identified greater number of SNPs and greater nucleotide diversity in the two wild Eragrostis species than in the tef landraces. The tef landrace populations in this study were poorly differentiated with FST values of 0.015. In the phylogenetic analysis, grouping of the landraces was not consistent with the area of collection, but few localized grouping of the landraces was evident, probably showing the communality of tef seed use across geographical boundaries. The improved tef varieties show reduced genetic diversity compared to the landraces and were all grouped into one cluster reflecting the nature of tef breeding which largely targets common genomic regions. We suggest that future work needs to aim beyond common genomic regions. The work presented here is a valuable addition to the growing molecular resources developed for tef genetic improvement

Utilization and determinants of modern family planning among women of reproductive age group in Ethiopia: results from Integrated Family Health Program.

Background: Family planning improves community health and wellbeing by helping women to space and/or limit the number of children they want until they are physically and financially prepared.Objective: The aim of this study was to assess utilization and determinants of modern family planning among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia.Methods: A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in four major regions of Ethiopia (Tigray, Amhara, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP)) from April 28 to May 30, 2013. 2,404 women of reproductive age were interviewed Samples were selected using a two-stage stratified sampling process. Descriptive and logistic regression methods of analysis were used to analyze utilization of modern family planning and the factors associated with it.Result: The mean age of respondents’ was 28.6 years (S.D=8.67). The most commonly used methods of family planning are injectable. Multivariable analysis showed that discussion with partner/husband about family planning practice in the last 6 months (AOR=6.1, 95%CI=4.73-7.81) and respondents knew health extension workers providing family planning services (AOR=1.57, 95% CI=1.23-2.01) were significantly associated with the use of modern family planning methods.Conclusion: Results of this study revealed that the number of respondents who have discussed with husband/partner about family planning and respondents who knew the family planning service providers were high utilizers of modern family planning methods. Our findings also indicated that current use of modern family planning increases with women’s education, and creating a conductive environment for women’s education is critical. Additional efforts are required to promote modern family planning utilization, partner participation, and couple counselling for join to decision making to improve modern family planning use. Key words: Family planning, Modern methods, Utilization, Reproductive age, Partner discussio

Participatory tomato variety selection in the lowland areas of North Shewa

The production and productivity of tomatoes in Ethiopia as well as in Amhara Region are very low because of lack of improved and adapted varieties, inadequate knowledge of production and management, and a poor marketing system. The field experiment was carried out during the 2018 irrigation seasons at Ataye and Shewarobit to identify adaptive, high yielding and disease tolerant varieties of tomato. Eight improved tomato varieties were laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. The collected biological data were analyzed using SAS statistical software version 9.4, and farmers’ preferences for those varieties were also assessed based on selection attributes set by them. The combined analysis of variance revealed that there was significant difference between the varieties on the number of fruits per cluster, plant height, marketable number, unmarketable number and average weight of a tomato. The highest number of fruits per cluster was recorded from variety Mersa (3.83), followed by Melkasalsa (3.73) and Melkashola (3.7). The variety Mersa was the tallest followed by Weyno with plant heights of 110.5 cm and 110.96 cm, respectively.  The highest average fruit weight was recorded for the variety D2 (61.25 g) followed by Cochoro (46.46 g). Even though it was not statistically significant, the variety Melkashola has given the highest marketable yield (32.98 t ha-1) and showed a better reaction to late blight disease as low as 27.5 %. In addition to this, variety Melkashola was highly preferred by the farmers. Based on the biological data and farmer’s preference variety Melkashola has been recommended for Ataye and Shewarobit as well as for other similar agro-ecologies

Using participatory workshops to assess alignment or tension in the community for minimally invasive tissue sampling prior to start of child mortality surveillance: lessons From 5 sites across the CHAMPS network

The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) program is a 7-country network (as of December 2018) established by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to identify the causes of death in children in communities with high rates of under-5 mortality. The program carries out both mortality and pregnancy surveillance, and mortality surveillance employs minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) to gather small samples of body fluids and tissue from the bodies of children who have died. While this method will lead to greater knowledge of the specific causes of childhood mortality, the procedure is in tension with cultural and religious norms in many of the countries where CHAMPS works - Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. Participatory Inquiry Into Community Knowledge of Child Health and Mortality Prevention (PICK-CHAMP) is a community entry activity designed to introduce CHAMPS to communities and gather initial perspectives on alignments and tensions between CHAMPS activities and community perceptions and priorities. Participants' responses revealed medium levels of overall alignment in all sites (with the exception of South Africa, where alignment was high) and medium levels of tension (with the exception of Ethiopia, where tension was high). Alignment was high and tension was low for pregnancy surveillance across all sites, whereas Ethiopia reflected low alignment and high tension for MITS. Participants across all sites indicated that support for MITS was possible only if the procedure did not interfere with burial practices and rituals

Utilization of non-pneumatic anti-shock garment for the management of obstetric hemorrhage among healthcare providers in north Shewa zone, Ethiopia

BackgroundGlobal maternal deaths have either increased or stagnated tragically. Obstetric hemorrhage (OH) remains the major cause of maternal deaths. Non-Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG) has several positive results in the management of obstetric hemorrhage in resource-limited settings where getting definitive treatments are difficult and limited. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the proportion and factors associated with the utilization of NASG for the management of obstetric hemorrhage among healthcare providers in the North Shewa zone, Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at health facilities of the north Shewa zone, Ethiopia from June 10th-30th/2021. A simple random sampling (SRS) technique was employed among 360 healthcare providers. Data were collected using a pretested self-administered questionnaire. EpiData version 4.6 and SPSS 25 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Binary logistic regression analyses were undertaken to identify associated factors with the outcome variable. The level of significance was decided at a value of p of <0.05.ResultsThe utilization of NASG for the management of obstetric hemorrhage among healthcare providers was 39% (95%CI: 34–45). Healthcare providers who received training on NASG (AOR = 3.3; 95%CI: 1.46−7.48), availability of NASG in the health facility (AOR = 9.17; 95%CI: 5.10–16.46), diploma (AOR = 2.63; 95%CI: 1.39–3.68), bachelor degree (AOR = 7.89; 95%CI: 3.1–16.29) and those healthcare providers who have a positive attitude toward utilization of NASG (AOR = 1.63; 95%CI: 1.14–2.82) were variables positively associated with the utilization of NASG.ConclusionIn this study, almost two-fifths of healthcare providers used NASG for the management of obstetrics hemorrhage. Arranging educational opportunities and continuous professional development training for healthcare providers, providing in-service and refresher training, and making it available at health facilities may help healthcare providers to effectively use the device, thereby reducing maternal morbidity and mortality

Causes of stillbirth and death among children younger than 5 years in eastern Hararghe, Ethiopia: a population-based post-mortem study

BACKGROUND: Child mortality is high in Ethiopia, but reliable data on the causes of death are scarce. We aimed to gather data for the contributory causes of stillbirth and child deaths in eastern Ethiopia. METHODS: In this population-based post-mortem study, we established a death-notification system in health facilities and in the community in Kersa (rural), Haramaya (rural) and Harar (urban) in eastern Ethiopia, at a new site of the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network. We collected ante-mortem data, did verbal autopsies, and collected post-mortem samples via minimally invasive tissue sampling from stillbirths (weighing at least 1000 g or with an estimated gestational age of at least 28 weeks) and children who died younger than 5 years. Children-or their mothers, in the case of stillbirths and deaths in children younger than 6 months-had to have lived in the catchment area for the past 6 months to be included. Molecular, microbiological, and histopathological analyses were done in collected samples. Cause of death was established by an expert panel on the basis of these data and classified as underlying, comorbid, or immediate separately for stillbirths, neonatal deaths (deaths aged 0-27 days), and child deaths (aged 28 days to <5 years). FINDINGS: Between Feb 4, 2019, and Feb 3, 2021, 312 deaths were eligible for inclusion, and the families gave consent in 195 (63%) cases. Cause of death was established in 193 (99%) cases. Among 114 stillbirths, the underlying cause of death was perinatal asphyxia or hypoxia in 60 (53%) and birth defects in 24 (21%). Among 59 neonatal deaths, the most common underlying cause was perinatal asphyxia or hypoxia (17 [29%]) and the most common immediate cause of death was neonatal sepsis, which occurred in 27 (60%). Among 20 deaths in children aged 28 days to 59 months, malnutrition was the leading underlying cause (15 [75%]) and infections were common immediate and comorbid causes. Pathogens were identified in 19 (95%) child deaths, most commonly Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. INTERPRETATION: Perinatal asphyxia or hypoxia, infections, and birth defects accounted for most stillbirths and child deaths. Most deaths could have been prevented with feasible interventions, such as improved maternity services, folate supplementation, and improved vaccine uptake. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global, regional, and national burden of traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) are increasingly recognised as global health priorities in view of the preventability of most injuries and the complex and expensive medical care they necessitate. We aimed to measure the incidence, prevalence, and years of life lived with disability (YLDs) for TBI and SCI from all causes of injury in every country, to describe how these measures have changed between 1990 and 2016, and to estimate the proportion of TBI and SCI cases caused by different types of injury. METHODS: We used results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study 2016 to measure the global, regional, and national burden of TBI and SCI by age and sex. We measured the incidence and prevalence of all causes of injury requiring medical care in inpatient and outpatient records, literature studies, and survey data. By use of clinical record data, we estimated the proportion of each cause of injury that required medical care that would result in TBI or SCI being considered as the nature of injury. We used literature studies to establish standardised mortality ratios and applied differential equations to convert incidence to prevalence of long-term disability. Finally, we applied GBD disability weights to calculate YLDs. We used a Bayesian meta-regression tool for epidemiological modelling, used cause-specific mortality rates for non-fatal estimation, and adjusted our results for disability experienced with comorbid conditions. We also analysed results on the basis of the Socio-demographic Index, a compound measure of income per capita, education, and fertility. FINDINGS: In 2016, there were 27·08 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 24·30-30·30 million) new cases of TBI and 0·93 million (0·78-1·16 million) new cases of SCI, with age-standardised incidence rates of 369 (331-412) per 100 000 population for TBI and 13 (11-16) per 100 000 for SCI. In 2016, the number of prevalent cases of TBI was 55·50 million (53·40-57·62 million) and of SCI was 27·04 million (24·98-30·15 million). From 1990 to 2016, the age-standardised prevalence of TBI increased by 8·4% (95% UI 7·7 to 9·2), whereas that of SCI did not change significantly (-0·2% [-2·1 to 2·7]). Age-standardised incidence rates increased by 3·6% (1·8 to 5·5) for TBI, but did not change significantly for SCI (-3·6% [-7·4 to 4·0]). TBI caused 8·1 million (95% UI 6·0-10·4 million) YLDs and SCI caused 9·5 million (6·7-12·4 million) YLDs in 2016, corresponding to age-standardised rates of 111 (82-141) per 100 000 for TBI and 130 (90-170) per 100 000 for SCI. Falls and road injuries were the leading causes of new cases of TBI and SCI in most regions. INTERPRETATION: TBI and SCI constitute a considerable portion of the global injury burden and are caused primarily by falls and road injuries. The increase in incidence of TBI over time might continue in view of increases in population density, population ageing, and increasing use of motor vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles. The number of individuals living with SCI is expected to increase in view of population growth, which is concerning because of the specialised care that people with SCI can require. Our study was limited by data sparsity in some regions, and it will be important to invest greater resources in collection of data for TBI and SCI to improve the accuracy of future assessments