The prevalence and factors associated for anti-tuberculosis treatment non-adherence among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in public health care facilities in South Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Background Evidence exists pointing out how non-adherence to treatment remains a major hurdle to efficient tuberculosis control in developing countries. Many tuberculosis (Tb) patients do not complete their six-month course of anti-tuberculosis medications and are not aware of the importance of sputum re-examinations, thereby putting themselves at risk of developing multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis and relapse. However, there is a dearth of publications about non-adherence towards anti-Tb medication in these settings. We assessed the prevalence of and associated factors for anti-Tb treatment non-adherence in public health care facilities of South Ethiopia. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative study was conducted among 261 Tb patients from 17 health centers and one general hospital. The qualitative aspect included an in-depth interview of 14 key informants. For quantitative data, the analysis of descriptive statistics, bivariate and multiple logistic regression was carried out, while thematic framework analysis was applied for the qualitative data. Results The prevalence of non-adherence towards anti-Tb treatment was 24.5%. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that poor knowledge towards tuberculosis and its treatment (AOR = 4.6, 95%CI: 1.4-15.6), cost of medication other than Tb (AOR = 4.7, 95%CI: 1.7-13.4), having of health information at every visit (AOR = 3, 95% CI: 1.1-8.4) and distance of DOTS center from individual home (AOR = 5.7, 95%CI: 1.9-16.8) showed statistically significant association with non-adherence towards anti- tuberculosis treatment. Qualitative study also revealed that distance, lack of awareness about importance of treatment completion and cost of transportation were the major barriers for adherence. Conclusions A quarter of Tb patients interrupted their treatment due to knowledge, availability and accessibility of DOTS service. We recommend creating awareness about anti-Tb treatment, and decentralization of drug pick-ups to the lowest level of health institutions

Study on knowledge, attitude and dog ownership patterns related to rabies prevention and control in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The study was conducted from May 2003 to August 2003 in Addis Ababa with the objective of understanding the distribution of stray and owned dogs, dog ownership patterns and attitudes of people towards rabies and its prevention and control methods. A total of 2390 households were selected from 6 Sub Cities of Addis Ababa using stratified random sampling and were interviewed using structured questionnaires. From the total households interviewed, 969 (40.5%) of them were known to own one or more dogs, and the total number of owned dogs was estimated to be 225,078. Male dogs make up 1042 (78.4%) of the total owned dogs. Almost half of all the dogs 463 (47.8%) were tied only for some time during the day whereas 320 (33.1%) of the dogs were not tied at all and freely move from place to place and contribute to high dog bites in human beings and for the widespread occurrence of canine rabies in Addis Ababa. Six hundred fifty five (67.6%) of the interviewed households who owned dogs had a well fenced house. Most of the owned dogs 856 (88.4%) get their food from their owners and only 321 (33.3%) of the owners reported that they let their dogs to be vaccinated while the majority of the owners 644 (66.5%) do not let their dogs vaccinated regularly. A significant proportion of the interviewed households 2,323 (97.2%), (P < 0.05) indicated that they have the knowledge that dogs, cats and other animals can transmit rabies to humans and 1,752 (73.4%) of the households replied that rabies can be transmitted through bite, scratch and lick to open wounds. Analysis of the list of 2400 post exposure human antirabies treatments recorded at the EHNRI Zoonoses Laboratory from February 2002 to October 2003 showed that the most common animals involved in biting people were dogs. A total of 2198 (91.6%) people were bitten by dogs during the same period and most of them, 2053 (85.5%) were bitten on their hands and legs. All the above data indicated the need for a strong and coordinated rabies control activities to be conducted in the city

Estimación de los parámetros productivos y reproductivos del sistema de producción bovina de doble propósito en la zona de magangué (depresión momposina - río magdalena)

El estudio se realizó en la "Depresión Momposina" localizada en la costa Atlántica de Colombia, la región más arregadiza del país, con base en los registros de 571 animales de diferentes grupos raciales, correspondientes a cuatro fincas dedicadas al sistema de producción de doble propósito, dos de ellas ubicadas en el Bosque Seco Tropical y las otras dos en la zona de Bosque Húmedo Tropical. La zona de Bosque Seco Tropical presentó los mejores valores para la producción total de leche (891 kg/vaca en 279 días de lactancia) e intervalo entre partos (423 días), lo cual se reflejó en la producción de leche por año efectivo (771 kg/vaca). Entre grupos raciales el Cebú x Europeo presentó la más alta producción de leche (975 kg/vaca en 298 días de lactancia), seguido del Cebú x Criollo (782 kg/ vaca en 285 días de lactancia) y el Cebú (278 kg/vaca en 274 días de lactancia). Esta tendencia a la mayor producción de los cruces en relación con el Cebú se conservó a pesar del mayor intervalo entre partos de éstos (434, 441 vs 421). Así mismo se conservó en los cruces la mayor producción de leche por año efectivo (Cebú x Europeo: 822; Cebú x Criollo: 656 y Cebú: 633 kg/vaca).This study was carried out in the "Depresión Momposina" located in the Atlantic Coast of Colombia, this region is the most overflooddirg of the country. Productive and reproductive parameters were estimated with the information taken from 571 animal records of different racial groups, with two finished lactations correspondent to four farms with dual-purpose production system, two of them in Tropical Dry Forest and the others in Tropical Humid Forest. Tropical Dry Fore st presented best rates for total milking production (891 kg/cow/279 days) and calving interval (423 days), all of this was related to milking production for effective year (771 kg) Zebú x European presented the highest milking yield (975 kg/cow in 298 days of lactation), following Zebú x Creole (782 kg/cow in 285 days of lactation) and Zebú (728 kg/cow in 274 days of lactation). The tendency for the crossbred for a high milk yield in relation to Zebu was kept in spite of higher calving interval for them (434,441 vs. 421). For that reason, higher milking production for effective year was obtained with Zebu x European (822 kg/cow), following Zebu x Creole (656 kg/cow), and Zebu (633 kg/cow)

Cervical cancer screening uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa:a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to estimate the pooled uptake of cervical cancer screening and identify its predictors in Sub-Saharan Africa. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, African Journals OnLine, Web of Science and Scopus electronic databases from January 2000 to 2019. All observational studies published in the English language that reported cervical cancer uptake and/or predictors in Sub-Saharan Africa were initially screened. We assessed methodological quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. An inverse variance-weighted random-effects model meta-analysis was performed to estimate the pooled uptake and odds ratio (OR) of predictors with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The I2 test statistic was used to check between-study heterogeneity, and the Egger's regression statistical test was used to check publication bias. RESULTS: We initially screened 3537 citations and subsequently 29 studies were selected for this review, which included a total of 36,374 women. The uptake of cervical cancer screening in Sub-Saharan Africa was 12.87% (95% CI: 10.20, 15.54; I2 = 98.5%). A meta-analysis of seven studies showed that knowledge about cervical cancer increased screening uptake by nearly five times (OR: 4.81; 95% CI: 3.06, 7.54). Other predictors of cervical screening uptake include educational level, age, Human Immune deficiency Virus (HIV) status, contraceptive use, perceived susceptibility and awareness about screening locations. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical screening uptake is low in Sub-Saharan Africa as a result of several factors. Health outreach and promotion programmes to target these identified predictors are required

Large-plot based performance evaluation of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) Varieties for grain yield and agronomic traits under irrigation condition in Mandura District, North-West, Ethiopia

The experiment was conducted during the offseason at Mandura district, North-West, Ethiopia under irrigation condition with the objective, to test and evaluate the adaptability and performance of seven introduced ESA pigeonpea varieties for grain yield and other agronomic traits with standard check during 2017/2018 cropping season. The agronomic traits evaluated and tested were stand count at initial, days to flowering, days to maturity, plant height, and stand count at harvest, seeds per pod, seeds per plant, wilt score, hundred seed weight and usable grain yield per hectare. The evaluated materials showed three maturity class i.e. early, medium, and long durations. Among the tested materials, ICEAP-00557 scored the highest grain yield (2349kg/ha), followed by ICEAP-00576-1 (1737kg/ha), however, the standard check ICEAP-87091 score was comparatively inferior (1390kg/ha). At times there was great variability in the biomass of the varieties which deserves serious attention for the producers. Thus, it was suggested the existence of sufficient variability for key economic yield that gives an option for promoting for high socio-economic performance through adaptation and commercialization

Can Turbidity Data from Remote Sensing Explain Modelled Spatial and Temporal Sediment Loading Patterns? An Application in the Lake Tana Basin

Understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of sediment loading in water bodies is crucial for effective water quality management. Remote sensing (RS) has emerged as a valuable and reliable tool for monitoring turbidity, which can provide insights into sediment dynamics in water bodies. In this study, we investigate the potential of turbidity data derived from RS to explain simulated spatial and temporal sediment loading patterns in the Lake Tana basin, Ethiopia. Utilizing existing RS lake turbidity data from Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) and simulated seasonal and multiyear trends of river sediment loadings into Lake Tana from the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT + model), we estimate correlations at different river inlets into Lake Tana. The results reveal a strong positive correlation (R2 > 0.66) between the multiyear monthly average sediment load from inflow rivers and RS lake turbidity at most river inlets. This indicates that the simulated river sediment loads and lake turbidity at river inlets exhibit similar seasonal patterns. Notably, higher turbidity levels are observed at the river inlet with the highest sediment load export. These findings highlight the potential of RS turbidity products in characterizing temporal and spatial patterns of sediment loadings, particularly in data-scarce regions, contributing to a better understanding of water quality dynamics in such areas

How the weather affects the pain of citizen scientists using a smartphone app

Patients with chronic pain commonly believe their pain is related to the weather. Scientific evidence to support their beliefs is inconclusive, in part due to difficulties in getting a large dataset of patients frequently recording their pain symptoms during a variety of weather conditions. Smartphones allow the opportunity to collect data to overcome these difficulties. Our study Cloudy with a Chance of Pain analysed daily data from 2658 patients collected over a 15-month period. The analysis demonstrated significant yet modest relationships between pain and relative humidity, pressure and wind speed, with correlations remaining even when accounting for mood and physical activity. This research highlights how citizen-science experiments can collect large datasets on real-world populations to address long-standing health questions. These results will act as a starting point for a future system for patients to better manage their health through pain forecasts

Health care seeking among pulmonary tuberculosis suspects and patients in rural Ethiopia: a community-based study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Health care seeking is a dynamic process that is influenced by socio-demographic, cultural and other factors. In Ethiopia, there are limited studies regarding the health seeking behaviour of tuberculosis (TB) suspects and TB patients. However, a thorough understanding of patients' motivation and actions is crucial to understanding TB and the treatment of disease. Such insights would conceivably help to reduce delay in diagnosis, improve treatment adherence and thereby reduce transmission of TB in the community. The objective of this study was to describe and analyze health care seeking among TB suspects and pulmonary TB (PTB) cases in a rural district of the Amhara Region in Ethiopia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Study <it>kebeles </it>were randomly selected in a cross-sectional study design. House-to-house visits were conducted in which individuals aged 15 years and above in all households of the <it>kebeles </it>were included. Subjects with symptoms suggestive of TB were interviewed about their health seeking behaviour, socio-demographic and clinical factors using a semi-structured questionnaire. Logistics regression analysis was employed to assess associations between the independent and outcome variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority, 787 (78%), TB suspects and 33 (82.5%) PTB cases had taken health care actions for symptoms from sources outside their homes. The median delay before the first action was 30 days. In logistics regression, women (AOR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6, 0.9) were found to be less likely to visit a medical health provider than men. Those with a long duration of cough (AOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.03, 2.1) and those with a previous history of TB (AOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.03, 2.3) were more likely to visit a medical health provider compared to those with a shorter duration of cough and with no history of TB.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The majority of TB suspects and PTB cases had already taken health care actions for their symptoms at the time of the survey. The availability of a simple and rapid diagnostic TB test for use at the lowest level of health care and the involvement of all health providers in case finding activities are imperative for early TB case detection.</p