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BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic to Ethiopia. However, the prevention and control efforts of leishmaniasis remain unfocused with clear knowledge and practice gaps within the country. Thus, a house to house survey has been carried out to assess the knowledge, practice and treatment-seeking behavior of households towards cutaneous leishmaniasis in the rural communities of Tigrai region, northern Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional house-to-house survey was conducted in two selected rural villages of Ganta-afeshum district, Tigrai, northern Ethiopia in 2019. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select the participants. Household heads were interviewed using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Epi info version 7.0 was used for data entry and the data were imported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Chi-square test (χ2) was used to test the association between the independent variables and the knowledge and practice status of the study participants. P-value < 0.05 was used to declare a statistically significant association among the variables. RESULTS: In our study, most of the participants (78%) stated that cutaneous leishmaniasis is a health problem in the area. Three hundred eighty (99.5%) participants responded that the most common clinical presentation of cutaneous leishmaniasis is a lesion on the face. All of the study participants did not know the mode of cutaneous leishmaniasis transmission, and had never heard of the sand fly. A majority of the participants were unaware of the main prevention methods for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Lastly, traditional medicine was used in 90% of the study households with a previous history for cutaneous leishmaniasis. CONCLUSION: There is a lack of awareness regarding the transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ganta-afeshum, Ethiopia, where the majority of individuals are unfamiliar with the sand fly vector. Prevention methods for cutaneous leishmaniasis were unavailable among the community. Therefore, health education programs concerning cutaneous leishmaniasis transmission, prevention, and treatment in the area should be rigorously implemented.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Generating epidemiological data on multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is essential to assess the magnitude and trends of anti-TB drug resistance. This study determined the prevalence of MDR-TB among presumptive MDR cases referred to a TB referral laboratory in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 262 culture-positive presumptive MDR-TB samples submitted to the Tigray Regional Research Laboratory for MDR testing between January 2013 and August 2014. Relevant data were recorded using a structured recording format. RESULTS: Out of 262 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates, 143 (54.6%) were MDR, 28 (10.7%) were resistant to rifampicin only, and 19 (7.3%) were resistant to isoniazid only. The prevalence of MDR-TB among newly infected cases was 66.7% (8/12) and that among previously treated cases was 54.1% (97/179). Of the variables tested, being a male was found to be associated with the development of MDR-TB (p=.003). CONCLUSION: More than half of the presumptive MDR cases referred to the Tigray Regional Research Laboratory were MDR. The prevalence was high in both newly infected and previously treated cases. Hence, re-enforcing the TB prevention methods, and strengthening the directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) strategy and the capacity of laboratories to undertake drug susceptibility testing (DST) in the region are imperative in order to curb the emergence and transmission of MDR-TB.