SOME SOCIAL FEATURE OF STD PATIENTS IN ADDIS ABABA -ETHIOPIA

ABSTRACT: Sill patients who attended four health centers in Addis Ababa were asked to respond to a questionnaire prepared by the Sill Division of the Department of AIDS Control of the Ministry of Health. Data on demographic features, current and previous exposure to Sills as well as behavioural data related to the actual problem was collected. 60% of the respondents were male and 40% were female. Two thirds of Sill patients in both sexes were unmarried and many of them unemployed. The educational level of females was found lower than in males; attendance at earlier symptomatic stages of diseases was found to correlate with higher level of the educational background in males, while no similar relation was observed in females. 80% of the patients came a week or more after the onset of symptoms, and 60% had no treatment prior to the attendance. These findings signify the need to establish the factors responsible for the delay in seeking health care, in order to plan for intervention. Further study on a larger sample is recommended for better understanding of the social and behavioral features of Sill patients

Practical experience of vaccinators and vaccine handlers in vaccine cold chain management: A phenomenological study

AbstractBackground: As the means of storing and transporting vaccines while maintaining their potency, cold chain storage is the most critical element of immunization. This study explores factors that contribute to vaccine wastage in public health facilities in Oromia Special Zone, Ethiopia, and focuses on how this knowledge can empower public health governors’ efforts in relation to effective vaccine cold chain management. Methods: A phenomenological study design was employed with key informants (n=13). Data-driven coding was used and content analysis was performed using NVivo 11 plus. A narrative strategy was also employed. Results: The present study identified a range of factors that contribute to vaccine wastage related to logistics, immunization practices, vial size, health professionals, and institutions. The presence of one these factors may trigger the appearance of another. The identified factors should be considered as complementary, and the notable consensus among key informants made the results generic and relevant to vaccination service around the world. Conclusions: Various factors contribute to vaccine wastage. The contributing factors for vaccine wastage identified in this study should be considered by health professionals and public health governors when drafting and implementing intervention strategies for improving vaccine cold chain management for similar health facilities operating around the world. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2021; 35(1):29-37] Key words: Vaccine wastage, contributing factors, cold chain management

Mortality of Sitophilus granarius (L.) and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) Adults Exposed to Different Concentrations of Filter Cake in Stored Wheat

አህፅሮትየሲልከን ውሁድ ያሊቸው ግዑዝ ብናኞች የተከዘነ እህልን ከጎተራ ነፍሳት ከመከሊከል አንጻር ከኬሚካሎች ይልቅ ሇአካባቢ ተስማሚ ሇጤናም ጉልህ ጉዳት የማያስከትለ አማራጮች እየሆኑ መጥተዋል፡፡ ከዚህ ጋር ተያይዞ አንድ የሲሉከን ውሁድ ያሇው የማጣሪያ ኬክ ብናኝ በጎተራ ነፍሳት ሊይ የሚኖረውን የመቆጣጠር አቅም ሇመፈተሽ በጎተራ ነቀዝ እና በትንሹ እህል ቦርቧሪ ጥንዚዛ ሊይ ጥናት ተደርጓል፡፡ ጥናቱ የተከናወነው 1ኪ.ግ.፣ 0.75ኪ.ግ.፣ 0.5ኪ.ግ.፣ እና 0.25ኪ.ግ. የማጣሪያ ኬክ ብናኝ በአንድ ኩንታል ስንዴ ሊይ በመጨመር ሲሆን የብናኙን ውጤታማነት ሇመቆጣጠር ምንም ብናኝ ያልተደረገበት ስንዴ ከጎን ተጠንቷል፡፡ ጥናቱ ባጠቃሊይ ሇ14ቀናት የተከናወነ ሲሆን ብናኝ ባሇው ስንዴ ውስጥ የገቡ ጉልምስ ነፍሳት የደረሰባቸው የሞት መጠን ተገምግሟል፡፡ በዚህም መሠረት በጎተራ ነቀዞች ሊይ በሶስት ቀናት ብቻ ከ41.3% እስከ 70.0% የጉልምሶች ሞት የተከሰተ ሲሆን ይህ በትንሹ እህል ቦርቧሪ ጥንዚዛ ጉልምሶች ሊይ ከ73.3% እስከ 93.3% ሞት አስከትሏል፡፡ ከ14 ቀናት በኋሊ ሲታይ በጎተራ ነቀዝ ጉልምሶች ሊይ እስከ 98.7% ሞት ያስከተሇ ሲሆን በትንሹ እህል ቦርቧሪ ጥንዚዛ ሊይ ግን እስከ 100% ሞትን አስከትሏል፡፡ ስሇዚህ በዚህ ጥናት ሊይ የተካተቱ የነፍሳት ዝሪያዎችን በማጣሪያ ኬክ ብናኝ ከሞሊጎደል መቆጣጠር እንደሚቻል መመልከት ይቻሊል፡፡AbstractSilica based inert dusts are eco-friendly alternatives to control stored grain insect pests due to environmental and health concerns associated with use of synthetic insecticides. A study was conducted to determine the efficacy of filter cake (a silica-based inert dust) on the granary weevil, Sitophilus granarius (L.) and lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) in stored wheat. Filter cake dust of ≤0.4 mm particle size was admixed with 500 g of wheat seed to provide nominal rates of 10000, 7500, 5000, and 2500 ppm (mg/kg), while the control treatment consisted of wheat seeds that were untreated. The bioassays were carried out using a liter-sized plastic jars in completely randomized design with three replications. Experiments were maintained at 23.1±1.7oC and 61.0±4.3% relative humidity. Mortality data were collected at 3, 7, and 14 d after treatment. Results indicated that mean mortality rate at 3 d after treatment ranged from 41.3 to 70.0% in S. granarius and 73.3 to 93.3% in R. dominica. Mean mortality of S. granarius adults at 14 d in filter cake treatments was 84.0 to 98.7%, whereas that of R. dominica was 98.3 to 100%. The present results show that filter cake dusts can be used to control these two species in stored wheat. Filter cake has potential in protection of wheat from S. granarius and R. dominica infestations in storage

ISOLATES OF STDs CAUSATIVE AGENTS FROM SEX WORKERS ADDIS ABABA (A PRELIMINARY REPORT)

ABSTRACT: Cervical and vaginal discharge samples, collected from282 randomly selected prostitutes of Addis Ababa, were examined for Sill causative agents. The subjects represented 900 females included in the 1990 sero-survey-for HIV infection. The results of the laboratory tests indicated that 117 (41.5%) of the examined females had a single infection by one of the five organisms tested for, while the others 18.1 % had experienced mixed infections of two organisms, and 4.2% of three organisms. The five organisms included Neisseria gonorrhoea isolated from 78 subjects (28.1 %), Trichomonas vaginalis -from 56 (20.6%), Candida albicans -from 40 (14.7%), and Gardnerella vaginosis -associated clue cells -from 27 individuals (9.9%). The presence of syphilis infection was indicated by the TPHA test in 72 subjects, representing 37.3% of the study samples. Among the N. gonorrhea isolates, PPNG strains comprised 57 (73.0%). Resistant strains were obtained to penicillin in 100.0%, ampicillin in 96.0%, bactrim (sxt) in 80.7%, among the PPNG strains; 19.1% of the NPPNG strains to penicillin, 38.1% to kanamycin, 66.6% of a bactrim and 66.7% of ampicillin. Both groups were, however, sensitive to erythromycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, norfloxacin, spectinomycin and ceftriaxone. Significant correlation was observed between these results and the MIC values obtained for each drug

PREVALENCE OF STD AND STD RELATED RISK FACTORS IN SEX WORKERS OF ADDIS ABABA

ABSTRACT: The distribution and frequency of some Sills among 282 female sex workers in Addis Ababa randomly selected out of a larger group subjected to HIV serosurvey was studied. Demographic and social information, clinical examination including use of speculum and laboratory detection of Sill pathogens were performed following an informed consent of all participants. An alarmingly high prevalence of Sills was found in the study population. Gonorrhoea was detected in 78 subjects (30.1%), trichomoniasis in 62 (23.9% ), vaginal candidiasis in 51 (19.7% ) and out of 203 sera studied 76 (37.4% ) were positive for syphilis. The duration in sex work was found to have a significant association with seropositivity for syphilis (p < 0.001). Neither the marital status nor regular intake of oral pills influenced the prevalence of Sills. Further laboratory investigation on a broader panel of STDs along with KAPB studies for assessment and evaluation of social and behavioral determinants related to sex work are recommended

Inclusion of ‘Climate Basics’ Course into Ethiopia Undergraduate Program is Critical to Build Climate Resilient Economy and Society

▪ The gap analyses on undergraduate curricula revealed that the existing Higher Education Institutes programs remained far behind the expected level of integration of Climate Change Education; ▪ The current educational road map, which has proposed critical courses for the first year of the undergraduate program, failed to include the "Climate Basics" course that could offer these students foundational climate science knowledge and tools needed to analyze climate-related risks while maximizing climate change opportunities; ▪ The inclusion of "Climate Basics" as a stand-alone course plays a critical role in broadening the understanding of undergraduate students on various national and international climate discourses

Clinical Profile of Neonates Admitted with Sepsis to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Jimma Medical Center, A Tertiary Hospital in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND፡ Globally, over 3 million newborn die each year, one million of these attributed to infections. The objective of this study was to determine the etiologies and clinical characteristics of sepsis in neonates admitted to intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in Ethiopia.METHODS: A longitudinal hospital based cohort study was conducted from April 1 to October 31, 2018 at the neonatal intensive care unit of Jimma Medical Center, southwest Ethiopia. Diagnosis of sepsis was established using the World Health Organization’s case definition. Structured questionnaires and case specific recording formats were used to capture the relevant data. Venous blood and cerebrospinal fluid from neonates suspected to have sepsis were collected.RESULTS: Out of 304 neonates enrolled in the study, 195 (64.1%) had clinical evidence for sepsis, majority (84.1%;164/195) of them having early onset neonatal sepsis. The three most frequent presenting signs and symptoms were fast breathing (64.6%; 122/195), fever (48.1%; 91/195) and altered feeding (39.0%; 76/195). Etiologic agents were detected from the blood culture of 61.2% (115/195) neonates. Bacterial pathogens contributed for 94.8% (109/115); the rest being fungal etiologies. Coagulase negative staphylococci (25.7%; 28/109), Staphylococcus aureus (22.1%; 24/109) and Klebsiella species (16.5%; 18/109) were the most commonly isolated bacteria.CONCLUSION: Majority of the neonates had early onset neonatal sepsis. The major etiologies isolated in our study markedly deviate from the usual organisms causing neonatal sepsis. Multicentre study and continuous surveillance are essential to tackle the current challenge to reduce neonatal mortality due to sepsis in Ethiopia

Integrating Climate Products in the Existing Undergraduate Curricula: An Approach to Respond to Climate Change through Climate Education

Climate change is real, and the severity of the problem is critical in developing countries where agriculture is the backbone of the economy. The agricultural sector in Ethiopia is highly climate dependent. More than 95% of farmed land grows crops under rain-fed agriculture. Given continually increasing climate change trends and variability, Ethiopia is expected to get hotter in the foreseeable future. This situation will increase small farm households' vulnerability to climate-related shocks that may induce food insecurity, malnutrition, diet-related non-communicable diseases, and large-scale displacements. Since there is no vaccine for climate change, equipping next-generation agricultural science graduates with the concepts of Climate Information Services (CIS) and Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is one of the best ways to address climate change related challenges and envision knowledge-based innovative practices that strengthen adaptation to climate change and leverage mitigation actions. Climate Change Education (CCE) and trainings have long been recognized by the national CCE strategy (2017-2030), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Climate Change Agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (Agenda 2030) as key tools to unravel the complex and multi-sectorial challenges induced/posed by climate change. Thus, Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA), in collaboration with Ethiopian Higher Education, initiated the integration of the concept of CIS and CSA in the agricultural program in Ethiopia. Demand was created among Ethiopian public universities by engaging university vice presidents, Professionals from agriculture and climate sciences. Through consultation workshops and discussions with university management, it was noted that integrating climate products as a sub-chapter and case studies in the existing curriculum is one of the strategies to respond to climate change through education. To implement the integration of climate products (CIS, CSA, CRMA and CB) in the existing curricula, a committee was named to collect the agriculture curricula, execute gap analyses and recommend the integration of CP in the existing curriculum. A draft document was produced and circulated among committees, and the comments were received. The gap analyses revealed that there were 11 climate-related courses offered in 10 departments in the Undergraduate program. The courses were either shallowly addressed or do not address climate products in the curricula. This has necessitated integrating the existing curriculum with climate products to contribute to the efforts of climate education, ensuring the relevance and quality of education. A validation workshop was organized, and the findings of the gap analyses and gap-filling recommendations were presented to university representatives drawn from 27 Universities. Comments in the validation workshop were included, and a final integrated curriculum was approved. A document that integrated climate products were produced and passed to the universities, and action points and a timeline was established for implementation. It was recommended that incorporating CP in the curricula be extended to other disciplines (e.g., health, Water Engineering etc.). It was also suggested to extend the experience to PG programs of all disciplines coupled with strong capacity-building efforts for teaching staff. It was also recommended that a standalone, common course and credited courses should be offered to all University students to advance climate education and respond to climate change

Burden of mental disorders and unmet needs among street homeless people in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: The impact of mental disorders among homeless people is likely to be substantial in low income countries because of underdeveloped social welfare and health systems. As a first step towards advocacy and provision of care, we conducted a study to determine the burden of psychotic disorders and associated unmet needs, as well as the prevalence of mental distress, suicidality, and alcohol use disorder among homeless people in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among street homeless adults. Trained community nurses screened for potential psychosis and administered standardized measures of mental distress, alcohol use disorder and suicidality. Psychiatric nurses then carried out confirmatory diagnostic interviews of psychosis and administered a locally adapted version of the Camberwell Assessment of Needs Short Appraisal Schedule. RESULTS: We assessed 217 street homeless adults, about 90% of whom had experienced some form of mental or alcohol use disorder: 41.0% had psychosis, 60.0% had hazardous or dependent alcohol use, and 14.8% reported attempting suicide in the previous month. Homeless people with psychosis had extensive unmet needs with 80% to 100% reporting unmet needs across 26 domains. Nearly 30% had physical disability (visual and sensory impairment and impaired mobility). Only 10.0% of those with psychosis had ever received treatment for their illness. Most had lived on the streets for over 2 years, and alcohol use disorder was positively associated with chronicity of homelessness. CONCLUSION: Psychoses and other mental and behavioural disorders affect most people who are street homeless in Addis Ababa. Any programme to improve the condition of homeless people should include treatment for mental and alcohol use disorders. The findings have significant implications for advocacy and intervention programmes, particularly in similar low income settings. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12916-014-0138-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users