Microbiological Quality and Safety of Sambusa and Fried Fish in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

The street food industry has an important role in the cities and towns of many developing countries in meeting the food demands of the urban dwellers. It feeds millions of people daily with a wide variety of foods that are relatively cheap and easily accessible. However, concerns have been raised about the safety and quality of street vended foods.  This study was carried out to determine the microbial quality and the hygienic and sanitary practices of street vendors of Sambusa and fried fish from November 2010 to March 2011 in Bahir Dar. A total of 120 food samples were collected from roadside and retailing houses or containers in two sampling batch. A semi-structured questionnaire and checklist were used in interviews to determine the status of the vending sites and associated food handling practices. Aerobic mesophilic bacteria, total coliform and S. aureus were determined using standard methods. On comparing the microbial qualities from the two sectors, there was no significance difference in their mean count (P >0.05). However, a significance difference (P <0.05) was observed between the two sampling baths in both foods for all microbial parameter. The overall hygienic status of the vending environment and the sanitary condition and handling practices of the vendors were not to the standard. The food is sold to unsuspecting clients who are likely to get food-borne diseases. This study recommends training of street food vendors on hygiene, sanitation and the establishment of code of practice for the street food industry. Keywords: Microbial quality, street food, Sambusa and Fried fis

Bacteriological Safety of Freshly Squeezed Mango and Pineapple Juices Served in Juice Houses of Bahir Dar Town, Northwest Ethiopia

The objective of this study was to assess bacteriological quality and safety of freshly squeezed mango and pineapple juices in Bahir Dar town, Ethiopia. The mean aerobic mesophilic count of mango juice (4.76 log CFU/ml) was relatively higher than pineapple juice (4.21 log CFU/ml) across each juice house. The mean Staphylococcus aureus counts were 3.84 log CFU/ml in mango and 3.74 log CFU/ml in pineapple juices. Total coliform counts were in the range of 9.2 to > 1100 MPN/ml in mango and from < 3 to > 1100 MPN/ml in pineapple juices. Total coliform counts in water samples were in the range of < 0.018 to > 16 MPN/ml. Pineapple juice was more acidic (pH= 4.2

4d N=1\mathcal{N} = 1/2d Yang-Mills Duality in Holography

We study the supergravity dual of four-dimensional ${\mathcal{N}=1}$ superconformal field theories arising from wrapping M5-branes on a K\"ahler two-cycle inside a Calabi-Yau threefold. We derive an effective three-dimensional theory living on the cobordism between the infrared and ultraviolet Riemann surfaces, describing the renormalization group flows between AdS$_7$ and AdS$_{5}$ as well as between different AdS$_{5}$ fixed points. The realization of this system as an effective theory is convenient to make connections to known theories, and we show that upon imposing (physical) infrared boundary conditions, the effective three-dimensional theory further reduces to two-dimensional $SU(2)$ Yang-Mills theory on the Riemann surface, thus deriving a correspondence between the gravity duals of a class of $\mathcal{N}=1$ superconformal field theories arising from wrapping M5-branes on a Riemann surface and two-dimensional Yang-Mills theory on the same Riemann surface.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figure

Water safety, sanitation and hygiene related knowledge, attitudes and practices among household residents in peri-urban areas in Northwest Ethiopia

AbstractBackground: People living is peri-urban areas in Sub-Saharan Africa are faced with the challenge of improving sanitation, hygiene and access to safe water supplies. However, there is limited information on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of household residents in relation to water safety, sanitation and hygiene. This study was carried out in three peri-urban areas to determine residents’ knowledge, attitudes and practices, as well as ascertain their sources of drinking water and access to sanitation facilities.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study at household level in three peri-urban areas in May 2016. Data were collected through face-to face interviews using a structured questionnaire.Results: Overall, 590 adults took part in the study. The overall mean knowledge of adults in terms of water safety, sanitation and hygiene was 78.1% (95% CI: 76.7-79.4). Adults’ favorable attitudes to water safety, sanitation and hygiene was 73.6% (95% CI: 71.1-76.1). Household water treatment (HWT) was practiced by one-third (34%) of the respondents. Chlorination, called wuha agare in Amharic, was a major (20%) method of HWT. Latrines were used by 523 (88.6%) respondents, with 129 (22%) using shared public latrines. Open defecation was practiced by 67 (11.3%) respondents. The respondents with a higher level of education had good knowledge and practices in relation to safe water, sanitation and hygiene compared to participants with no formal education (P<0.001). Hand washing with soap was more likely to be practiced by younger people (COR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.3-3.0) and those who were formally educated (COR = 4.1; 95% CI: 2.3-7.3). The two-week diarrhea prevalence was significantly higher among households with no practice of HWT compared to households with HWT practices (21.2% vs 13%; P<0.02).Conclusions: The educational status of household residents was associated with good levels of knowledge, attitudes and practices in relation to water safety, sanitation and hygiene. HWT, open defecation and shared latrines are matters that still require intervention in peri-urban areas. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2018;32(3):00-000]Key words: Knowledge, attitude, practices, water, sanitation, peri-urban

Antibiogram of E. coli serotypes isolated from children aged under five with acute diarrhea in Bahir Dar town

Background: Diarrheal disease and its complications remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children. The prevalence and antibiogram of E. coli as causative agents of diarrhea vary from region to region, and even within countries in the same geographical area. Objectives: To determine the serotype and antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli in children under-five years of age. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 children with diarrhea from December 2011 to February 2012. Identification of E. coli and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were done following standard procedures. Results: The overall isolation rate of E. coli was 48.3%. Poly 2 sero-groups, poly 3 sero-groups, poly 4 sero-groups and E. coli O157:H7 accounted for 80 (39.2%), 40 (19.6%), 25 (12.3%), and 59 (28.9%) of the isolates, respectively. Poly 2 sero- groups, constituting isolates belonging to enteropathogenic E. coli were the most commonly isolated serotypes. E. coli exhibited high levels of antimicrobial resistance to ampicillin (86.8%), tetracycline (76%) and cotrimoxazole (76%). Low levels of resistance to ciprofloxacin (6.9%) and norfloxacin (9.3%) were documented. Conclusion: High prevalence of diarrheagenic E. coli compounded by alarming antimicrobial resistances is a serious public health problem. Regular determination of antibiogram and public education are recommended

The effect of hourly nursing rounds on patient satisfaction at Debre Markos Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: A non-randomized controlled clinical trial

Background: Today, implementation of hourly bedside nursing rounds is an important component of evaluating the excellence of hospitals and it is one of the strategies to increase the quality of care. Nevertheless, there has been little emphasis on the implementation of hourly nursing rounds and limited evidence is available on its effect on patient satisfaction with nursing care in Ethiopia. Hence, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of hourly nursing rounds on patient satisfaction with nursing care. Methods: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent groups study design was used to determine the effect of hourly nursing rounds on patient satisfaction with nursing care at Debre Markos Referral Hospital. A convenience sample of 104 hospitalized patients participated in this study (52 in control and 52 intervention group). The control group received the usual care in the selected units compared with the intervention group who received care with hourly nursing rounds. Patient satisfaction with nursing care scores was taken on the second and fifth days of hospitalization in both groups. Independent t-test was used to compare the statistical difference between the mean satisfaction scores of the two groups. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The result of the t-test demonstrated that patients in the intervention group had a higher satisfaction score than patients in the control group on the second day of hospitalization although it was not statistically significant (P = 0.215). However, there was a significant difference in the mean satisfaction scores on the fifth day of hospitalization (from 71.02 ± 14.37 in the control group to 79.69 ± 12.21 in the intervention group, P = 0.001). Conclusion: This study revealed that patients in the intervention group have higher satisfaction scores than the control group, providing evidence that hourly nursing rounds improve patient satisfaction with nursing care and quality of care. Therefore, policymakers (FMoH) need to consider the implementation of consistent hourly nursing rounds in our hospitals to improve patient satisfaction and overall quality of care at large. Trial registration ID: PACTR201907735468929