High manifestations of food insecurity and hunger among pregnant and lactating women during post-conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia: a community-based study.

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity is a state or condition in which people have limited or uncertain physical, social, and economic access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs. Since no thorough evaluation was carried out to determine the degree of household food insecurity in Tigrayan communities in the aftermath of the conflict. This study aims to describe household-level food insecurity status among pregnant and lactating women during the post-armed conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia. METHOD: Descriptive research was designed to assess household food insecurity. A multi-stage sampling technique was used for this study. One thousand two hundred forty-nine households were selected systematically following a list of food insecure households. Descriptive statistical values, including frequency counts, percentages, minimum values, maximum values, and averages, were calculated to quantify the indicators under study. Household food insecurity and hunger Scale measurement using the standardized Food and Agriculture Organization standard. RESULTS: The mean age (± SD) of the mothers was 28.35 ± 5.91 years. More than three fourth of the participants 1010(80.93%) were rural residents. The survey result showed that 88.8% of the pregnant and lactating were food insecure. Half (50.1%) of the households were hungry,one month before the study, 78.5% of the families expressed concern about running out of food and 6.4% had severe hunger. CONCLUSIONS: The food insecurity levels and hunger prestige of the study communities were excessively high. This is in the context of a region affected by intense armed conflict. It is commended that the study communities need to be safeguarded from the direct and long-term consequences of armed conflict-caused household food insecurity.

Conflict and fragmented public health emergency management system in Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia: A double burden to accommodate resilient and advanced public health emergency management. A commentary review for policy-makers and a call to action.

An estimated 2.5 million people have been internally and externally displaced in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia in conflict and post-conflict settings. This induced a loss of access to basic and essential healthcare services. The situation was overwhelming, causing service inaccessibility, inadequate health facilities, unstable security to access the services, shortage of supplies and drugs, and medical equipment's in the region. The regional public health emergency management is one service delivery set up for the critically ill. It is characterized by weak emergency management capacities, poor coordination and integration. In addition, the system falls in to two independent sectors in the Tigray Health Bureau (THB), Tigray Health Research Institute (THRI). This leads to a fragmented system, an unclear leadership and governance role and a poor service delivery setup and tracking mechanism. The situation leads to resource duplication and poor business practice. Indeed, this type of service delivery setup secures personal and professional interest more than community interest. The situation exacerbated the occurrence of recurrent outbreaks in the region, with, for instance, zoonotic diseases (anthrax and rabies), acute watery diarrhoea, measles, malaria, yellow fever, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) approaching to their level of epidemic. Moreover, they will spike as an epidemic in the future. All these circumstances made it evident that the system need reform to adhere with legal global, national, and regional frameworks, guidelines and proclamations. The system should have one service delivery set up at regional level. It must fall into regional public health institutes (PHIs) to adhere its service packages to the current advancements. Furthermore, integrated effort need from program implementers, relevant stakeholders and policy-makers should be committed and work together in the review and reform process.

Factors associated with obstetric fistula among reproductive age women in Ethiopia: a community based case control study.

BACKGROUND: Obstetric fistula is a major public health concerns in Ethiopia. It is the most devastating cause of all maternal morbidities. METHOD: Data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) was analyzed. A community-based unmatched case control study was conducted. Seventy cases and 210 non cases were selected using random number table. Data were analyzed by using STATA statistical software version 14. Multivariable logistic regression model was applied to determine the factors associated with fistula. RESULTS: The majority of fistula cases were from rural residences. The multivariable statistical model showed that rural residence (Adjusted OR (AOR) = 5, 95% CI 4.26, 7.52), age at first marriage (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI 2.83, 4.60), poorest wealth index (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI 2.24, 5.01) and decision making for contraceptive use by husband alone (AOR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.124, 1.67) were factors significantly associated with obstetric fistula. CONCLUSION: Age at first marriage, rural residence, poorest wealth index and decision making for contraceptive use by husband alone were significantly associated factors for obstetric fistula. Intervening on these factors will reduce the magnitude of obstetrics fistula. In this context there is in-need to improve on avoiding early marriage through awareness creation to the community and developing legal framework by the policymakers. Furthermore, information about the joint decision making to use contraceptives should be disseminated though mass-media and interpersonal channels.

Globally, 2­3 million women are affected by obstetric fistula. It is common in developing nations, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia where suitable, timely care and treatment are hard to find. This devastating condition adversely affects women's physical and mental health. There is little research conducted in relation to the experiences of women living with leakage of urine and/or feces in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study provides a better understanding on obstetric fistula and its associated factors.The present study used the recent Ethiopia Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) 2016, to determine the associated factors of obstetric fistula among reproductive age group women (15­49 years) in Ethiopia.In this study rural residence, poorest wealth index, age at first marriage less than 18 years, and decision making for contraceptive use by husband alone were the associated factors of obstetric fistula. Intervening on these factors will reduce the magnitude of obstetrics fistula. In this context there is in-need to improve on avoiding early marriage through awareness creation to the community and developing legal framework by the policymakers. Furthermore, information about the joint decision making to use contraceptives should be disseminated though mass-media and interpersonal channels. Comprehensive intervention strategies should be customized at different government hierarchies to combat and reduce obstetric fistula.

HIV virological non-suppression and factors associated with non-suppression among adolescents and adults on antiretroviral therapy in northern Ethiopia: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the benefits of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), there is a growing concern of treatment failure. This study aimed to assess viral non suppression rate and factors associated with HIV viral non suppression among adolescents and adults on ART in Northern Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective cross sectional study was done on 19,525 study subjects. All the data in the database of Tigray Health Research Institute was exported to Microsoft excel 2010 and then data verification and filtration were done before exporting to STATA 14.0 for analysis. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) logistic regression was used for statistical modeling of viral non suppression. RESULTS: A total of 5153 (26.39%; 95%CI (25.77%, 27.02)) patients had no viral suppression despite being on ART. Being male (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.18, 1.37), 15-19 years of age (AOR = 4.86, 95%CI: 3.86, 6.12), patients from primary hospital (AOR = 1.26, 95%CI: 1.05, 1.52), WHO staging II (AOR = 1.31, 95%CI: 1.10, 1.54), poor ART adherence level (AOR = 2.56, 95%CI: 1.97, 3.33), fair ART adherence level (AOR = 1.61, 95%CI: 1.36, 1.90), baseline CD-4 count of < 200 cells/micro liter (AOR = 1.33, 95%CI: 1.14, 1.54), recent CD-4 count of < 200 cells/micro liter (AOR = 3.78, 95%CI: 3.34, 4.27), regimen types: 1c (AZT-3TC-NVP) (AOR = 1.32, 95%CI: 1.22, 1.44), 2 h (TDF-3TC-ATV/R) (AOR = 1.79, 95%CI: 1.27, 2.52) and declined immunological responses after ART initiation (AOR = 1.45, 95%CI: 1.30, 1.61) were significantly associated with viral non-suppression. CONCLUSIONS: The virological non suppression was high which makes it less likely to achieve the third 90 UNAIDS target. Being male, patients with WHO staging II and poor ART adherence level were significantly associated with viral non suppression. Therefore, intensive adherence support and counseling should be provided. It is also a high time to determine the antiretroviral drugs resistance pattern given the fact that a large number of patients had virological non suppression.

Time to Sputum Culture Conversion and Its Predictors Among Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis Patients in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Sputum culture conversion status is a cardinal index of treatment response and patient outcome for MDR TB patients on longer anti-TB drugs. But, there is limited information on time to sputum culture conversion of MDR TB patients on a longer anti-TB treatment regimen. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate time to sputum culture conversion and its predictors among MDR TB patients in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 2017 through September 2020 among MDR TB patients in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Demographic and clinical characteristics including bacteriological data were extracted from the TB registration book and electronic database in Tigray Health Research Institute. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. The time to initial sputum culture conversion was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Bivariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to identify predictors for culture conversions. P <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 294 eligible study participants with a median age of 30 years (IQR: 22.75-40) were included. The participants were followed for a total of 1066.7 person months. Sputum culture conversion was achieved in 269 (91%) of the study participants. The median time of sputum culture conversion was 64 days (IQR: 49-86). In our multivariate model, HIV-positive (aHR=1.529, 95% CI: 1.096-2.132, P=0.012), patients new to anti-TB treatment (aHR=2.093, 95% CI: 1.100-3.982, P=0.024) and baseline AFB smear grading of +1 (aHR=1.982, 95% CI: 1.428-2.750, P=0.001) significantly affected time to initial sputum culture conversion. Conclusion: The median time of culture conversion was 64 days. Moreover, the majority of the study participants achieved culture conversion within the first six months of treatment commencement, which supports predefined standard treatment durations.

Prognostic Value of C-Reactive Protein in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Simplified Biomarker of COVID-19 Severity in Northern Ethiopia.

Purpose: To evaluate the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) in predicting severe COVID-19 patients. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted from July 15 to October 28, 2020, at Kuyha COVID-19 isolation and treatment center hospital, Mekelle City, Northern Ethiopia. A total of 670 blood samples were collected serially. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by RT-PCR from nasopharyngeal swabs and CRP concentration was determined using Cobas Integra 400 Plus (Roche). Data were analyzed using STATA version 14. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Overall, COVID-19 patients had significantly elevated CRP at baseline when compared to PCR-negative controls [median 11.1 (IQR: 2.0-127.8) mg/L vs 0.9 (IQR: 0.5-1.9) mg/L; p=0.0004)]. Those with severe COVID-19 clinical presentation had significantly higher median CRP levels compared to those with non-severe cases [166.1 (IQR: 48.6-332.5) mg/L vs 2.4 (IQR: 1.2-7.6) mg/L; p<0.00001)]. Moreover, COVID-19 patients exhibited higher median CRP levels at baseline [58 (IQR: 2.0-127.8) mg/L] that decreased significantly to 2.4 (IQR: 1.4-3.9) mg/L after 40 days after symptom onset (p<0.0001). Performance of CRP levels determined using ROC analysis distinguished severe from non-severe COVID-19 patients, with an AUC value of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.73-0.91; p=0.001; 77.4% sensitivity and 89.4% specificity). In multivariable analysis, CRP levels above 30 mg/L were significantly associated with an increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 for those who have higher ages and comorbidities (ARR 3.99, 95% CI: 1.35-11.82; p=0.013). Conclusion: CRP was found to be an independent determinant factor for severe COVID-19 patients. Therefore, CRP levels in COVID-19 patients in African settings may provide a simple, prompt, and inexpensive assessment of the severity status at baseline and monitoring of treatment outcomes.

Longitudinal profile of antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with COVID-19 in a setting from Sub-Saharan Africa: A prospective longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Serological testing for SARS-CoV-2 plays an important role for epidemiological studies, in aiding the diagnosis of COVID-19, and assess vaccine responses. Little is known on dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 serology in African settings. Here, we aimed to characterize the longitudinal antibody response profile to SARS-CoV-2 in Ethiopia. METHODS: In this prospective study, a total of 102 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled. We obtained 802 plasma samples collected serially. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were determined using four lateral flow immune-assays (LFIAs), and an electrochemiluminescent immunoassay. We determined longitudinal antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 as well as seroconversion dynamics. RESULTS: Serological positivity rate ranged between 12%-91%, depending on timing after symptom onset. There was no difference in positivity rate between severe and non-severe COVID-19 cases. The specificity ranged between 90%-97%. Agreement between different assays ranged between 84%-92%. The estimated positive predictive value (PPV) for IgM or IgG in a scenario with seroprevalence at 5% varies from 33% to 58%. Nonetheless, when the population seroprevalence increases to 25% and 50%, there is a corresponding increases in the estimated PPVs. The estimated negative-predictive value (NPV) in a low seroprevalence scenario (5%) is high (>99%). However, the estimated NPV in a high seroprevalence scenario (50%) for IgM or IgG is reduced significantly to 80% to 85%. Overall, 28/102 (27.5%) seroconverted by one or more assays tested, within a median time of 11 (IQR: 9-15) days post symptom onset. The median seroconversion time among symptomatic cases tended to be shorter when compared to asymptomatic patients [9 (IQR: 6-11) vs. 15 (IQR: 13-21) days; p = 0.002]. Overall, seroconversion reached 100% 5.5 weeks after the onset of symptoms. Notably, of the remaining 74 COVID-19 patients included in the cohort, 64 (62.8%) were positive for antibody at the time of enrollment, and 10 (9.8%) patients failed to mount a detectable antibody response by any of the assays tested during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal assessment of antibody response in African COVID-19 patients revealed heterogeneous responses. This underscores the need for a comprehensive evaluation of seroassays before implementation. Factors associated with failure to seroconvert needs further research.

Identification of Factors Influencing Anemia among Children Aged 6-59 Months in Ethiopia Using Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey 2016 Data.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is the most common nutritional problem and a widespread micronutrient-deficiency disorder on a global scale. In Ethiopia, childhood anemia is highly prevalent and a major public health concern. This study aimed to identify factors associated with anemia among children aged 6-59 months in Ethiopia. METHODS: Data weres extracted from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). We found records for 8,603 children aged 6-59 months in the data set. After 448 had been excluded due to incomplete records, 8,155 children were included in the final analysis. Pearson's χ2 was used to assess associations between each factor and categorical outcome variables. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were done to determine factors associated with anemia, and significant associations were declared at p≤0.05 for the final model. RESULTS: More than half (51.5%) the children were male and the overall mean age was 31.85±15.66 months. Mean hemoglobin concentration was 10.37±17.55 g/dL. The overall prevalence of anemia was 56.6%: 3.7%, 30.4%, and 22.5% severe, moderate, and mild anemia, respectively. Increased child age, decreased maternal age, lowest rung on wealth index, mother living alone, mother engaged in outside work, increased birth order, decreased birth interval, one antenatal care visit, severe stunting, and severe underweight were significantly associated with anemia. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anemia in this study was the highest of all EDHS reports. It had increased since the preceding report (EDHS 2011), and remains the main public health concern in Ethiopia. Comprehensive intervention strategies should be put in place and tailored to different levels of government (national, regional, and district) including household- and individual-level interventions for combating childhood anemia by focusing on the identified risk factors.

Magnitude, components and predictors of metabolic syndrome in Northern Ethiopia: Evidences from regional NCDs STEPS survey, 2016.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with metabolic syndrome are five times more susceptible to chronic diseases. Assessment of its magnitude, components, and risk factors is essentials to deploy visible interventions needed to avoid further complications. The study aimed to assess magnitude, components, and predictors of metabolic syndrome in Tigray region northern Ethiopia, 2016. METHODS: Data were reviewed from Tigray region NCDs STEPs survey data base between May to June 2016. A total of 1476 adults aged 18-64 years were enrolled for the study. Multi-variable regression analysis was performed to estimate the net effect of size to risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. Statistical significance was declared at p-value of ≤0.05 at 95% confidence interval (CI) for an adjusted odds ratio (AOR). RESULTS: The study revealed that unadjusted and adjusted prevalence rate of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) were (CPR = 33.79%; 95%CI: 31.29%-36.36%) and (APR = 34.2%; 95% CI: 30.31%-38.06%) respectively. The most prevalent MetS component was low HDL concentration (CPR = 70.91%; 95%CI: 68.47%-73.27%) and (APR = 70.61; 95%CI; 67.17-74.05). While; high fasting blood glucose (CPR = 20.01% (95%CI: 18.03-22.12) and (APR = 21.72; 95%CI; 18.41-25.03) was the least ones. Eating vegetables four days a week, (AOR = 3.69, 95%CI; 1.33-10.22), a salt sauce added in the food some times (AOR = 5.06, 95%CI; 2.07-12.34), overweight (AOR = 24.28, 95%CI; 10.08-58.47] and obesity (AOR = 38.81; 12.20-111.04) had strong association with MetS. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of metabolic syndrome was found to be close to the national estimate. Community awareness on life style modification based on identified MetS components and risk factors is needed to avoid further complications.

Impacts of COVID-19 on essential health services in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: A pre-post study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has proved to have an indirect impact on essential health services in several parts of the world which could lead to increased morbidity and mortality and loss of the gains made in the past decades. There were no synthesized scientific evidences which could show the impact of COVID-19 epidemics/pandemic on essential health services in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impacts of COVID-19 epidemics/pandemic on essential health services provision in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. METHODS: A pre-post study design was used to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on essential health services delivery in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia in the second quarter of 2020 (Post COVID-19) compared to similar quarter in 2019 (Pre COVID-19). The study focuses on five categories; namely; maternal, neonatal and child health care; communicable diseases with a focus on HIV and TB-HIV co-infection; prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV; basic emergency, outpatient, inpatient and blood bank services, non-communicable diseases and road traffic accidents (RTAs). Analysis was done using Stata version 14.0 software package. The effects of COVID-19 epidemics/pandemic were calculated taking the differences between post COVID -19 and pre COVID-19 periods and the levels of service disruptions presented using proportions. Wilcoxon sign rank test was done and a significance level of ≤0.05 was considered as having significant difference among the two quarters. RESULTS: There were significant increase in institutional delivery, delivery by Caesarian Section (CS), still birth, postnatal care within 7 days of delivery, the number of children who received all vaccine doses before 1st birthday, the number of under 5 children screened and had moderate acute malnutrition, the number of under 5 children screened and had severe acute malnutrition and children with SAM admitted for management. However, there were significant decrease in HIV testing and detection along with enrolment to antiretroviral therapy (ART) care, number of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk ≥ 30% received treatment, RTAs, total units of blood received from national blood transfusion service (NBTS) and regional blood banks, total number of units of blood transfused and emergency referral. There were no significant changes in outpatient visits and admissions. CONCLUSION: Despite commendable achievements in maintaining several of the essential health services, COVID-19 has led to an increase in under nutrition in under five children, decline in HIV detection and care, CVD, cervical cancer screening and blood bank services. Therefore, governments, local and international agencies need to introduce innovative ways to rapidly expand and deliver services in the context of COVID-19. Moreover, lower income countries have to customize comprehensive and coordinated community-based health care approaches, including outreach and campaigns. In addition, countries should ensure that NCDs are incorporated in their national COVID-19 response plans to provide essential health care services to people living with NCDs and HIV or HIV-TB co-infection during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Effect of co-infection with intestinal parasites on COVID-19 severity: A prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection results in a spectrum of clinical presentations. Evidence from Africa indicates that significantly less COVID-19 patients suffer from serious symptoms than in the industrialized world. We and others previously postulated a partial explanation for this phenomenon, being a different, more activated immune system due to parasite infections. Here, we aimed to test this hypothesis by investigating a potential correlation of co-infection with parasites with COVID-19 severity in an endemic area in Africa. Methods: Ethiopian COVID-19 patients were enrolled and screened for intestinal parasites, between July 2020 and March 2021. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with severe COVID-19. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between parasite infection, and COVID-19 severity. Models were adjusted for sex, age, residence, education level, occupation, body mass index, and comorbidities. Findings: 751 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients were enrolled, of whom 284 (37.8%) had intestinal parasitic infection. Only 27/255 (10.6%) severe COVID-19 patients were co-infected with intestinal parasites, while 257/496 (51.8%) non-severe COVID-19 patients were parasite positive (p<0.0001). Patients co-infected with parasites had lower odds of developing severe COVID-19, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.23 (95% CI 0.17-0.30; p<0.0001) for all parasites, aOR 0.37 ([95% CI 0.26-0.51]; p<0.0001) for protozoa, and aOR 0.26 ([95% CI 0.19-0.35]; p<0.0001) for helminths. When stratified by species, co-infection with Entamoeba spp., Hymenolepis nana, Schistosoma mansoni, and Trichuris trichiura implied lower probability of developing severe COVID-19. There were 11 deaths (1.5%), and all were among patients without parasites (p = 0.009). Interpretation: Parasite co-infection is associated with a reduced risk of severe COVID-19 in African patients. Parasite-driven immunomodulatory responses may mute hyper-inflammation associated with severe COVID-19. Funding: European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) - European Union, and Joep Lange Institute (JLI), The Netherlands. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04473365.

Utilization Rate and Factors Associated with Non-Utilization of Non-Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment in the Management of Obstetric Hemorrhage in Public Health Care Facilities of Northern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Obstetric hemorrhage (OH) causes more than 25% of the maternal deaths across the world annually. A significant number of these deaths can essentially be prevented with a skilled birth attendant and having all-inclusive emergency obstetric care technologies. One of these promising technologies is to utilize non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG). Despite this fact, there are limited studies on the utilization of NASG in Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the utilization rate and factors associated with non-utilization of NASG in the management of obstetric hemorrhage in public healthcare facilities of Northern Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2017 to February 2018 involving 338 randomly selected healthcare providers working in the maternity healthcare facilities. Data were collected using pre-tested and self-administered questionnaires. Data were entered and analyzed using STATA version 14.0 statistical software package. The result was displayed using descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify independent predictors of non-utilization of NASG at a P-value≤0.05. RESULTS: About 121 (35.80%; 95% CI=30.68-41.16%) of the health workers did not utilize NASG, and 217 (64.20%; 95% CI=58.84-69.32%) utilized NASG. Being females, with adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.21 (95% CI=1.06-4.63), use of NASG in previous works to manage OH, with AOR=0.1 (95% CI=0.02-0.48), having perceived skill to use the garment in the facility, with AOR=0.10 (95% CI=0.01-0.79), were significantly associated with the non-utilization of NASG. CONCLUSION: There was a lower rate of NASG utilization among the healthcare providers for the management of obstetric hemorrhage. Being a male care provider, having no experience of using NASG to manage PPH, and having perceived skill to use the garment in the healthcare facility were significantly associated factors for the non-utilization of the NASG. Due emphasis should be given to the utilization of NASG to manage obstetric hemorrhage by addressing the identified modifiable factors for non-utilization of NASG by healthcare workers.

Magnitude and determinants of road traffic accidents in Northern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the magnitude and determinants of road traffic accidents (RTAs) in Mekelle city, Northern Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done using a simple random sampling technique. SETTING: The study was done in Mekelle city from February to June 2015. PARTICIPANTS: The study was done among drivers settled in Mekelle city. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measure was occurrence of RTA within 2 years. A binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with RTA. RESULTS: The magnitude of RTA was found to be 23.17%. According to the drivers' perceived cause of the accident, 22 (38.60%) of the accident was due to violation of traffic rules and regulations. The majority of the victims were pedestrians, 19 (33.33%). Drivers who were driving a governmental vehicle were 4.16 (adjusted OR (AOR) 4.16; 95% CI 1.48 to 11.70) times more likely to have RTA compared with those who drive private vehicles. Drivers who used alcohol were 2.29 (AOR 2.29; 95% CI 1.08 to 4.85) times more likely to have RTA compared with those drivers who did not consume alcohol. CONCLUSION: Magnitude of reported road traffic accident was high. Violation of traffic laws, lack of vehicle maintenance and lack of general safety awareness on pedestrians were the dominant reported causes of RTAs. Driving a governmental vehicle and alcohol consumption were the factors associated with RTA. Monitoring blood alcohol level of drivers and regular awareness to the drivers should be in place. Holistic study should be done to identify the causes of RTAs.

Incidence and factors associated with treatment failure among HIV infected adolescent and adult patients on second-line antiretroviral therapy in public hospitals of Northern Ethiopia: Multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the incidence and factors associated with treatment failure among HIV infected adolescent and adult patients on second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in public hospitals of Northern Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted from September 1, 2007 to July 30, 2017 on 227 patients. The data were extracted using a retrieval checklist from the patient's charts. The incidence rate of treatment failure was calculated using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess factors associated with treatment failure. RESULT: The study subjects were followed for a total observation of 788.58 person-years with a median follow-up period of 35 (IQR: 17-60) months after switching to second-line ART. About 57 (25.11%) patients developed treatment failure, out of which, 32 (56.14%) occurred during the first two years. The overall incidence of second-line treatment failure was 72.3 per 1000 person years (95%CI: 55.75-93.71) of observation. The Kaplan-Meier estimates of cumulative treatment failure after 1, 2, and around 10 years of follow-up were 12.31% (95%CI: 8.60-17.45%), 14.99% (95%CI: 10.82%-20.57%), and 48.67% (95%CI: 32.45-67.81%) respectively. Age >45 years AHR = 3.33, 95%CI = 1.33-8.31), WHO stage IV (AHR = 3.63, 95%CI = 1.72-7.67), CD4 count <100 cells/mm3 (AHR = 3.79, 95%CI = 1.61-8.91), TB co-morbidity (AHR = 3.39 95%CI = 1.91-6.01) and poor adherence level (AHR = 3.63, 95% CI = 1.89-6.96) at the start of second line ART were significantly associated with second-line ART failure. CONCLUSION: Incidence of second-line ART treatment failure in the first 2 years of follow-up was high. The rate of second-line ART failure was higher in patients who started second-line ART with poor drug adherence, CD4 count <100 cells/mm3, TB co-morbidity, age >45 years, and being in WHO stage IV. Therefore, intensive counseling and adherence support should be given along with strong TB screening. Moreover, the government of Ethiopia should consider endorsing third-line ART drugs after careful cost-benefit analysis.

Latrine Ownership and Its Determinants in Rural Villages of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Open defecation was largely a rural phenomenon most widely attributed to poor latrine ownership at community level. We aimed at examining latrine ownership and its determinants in rural villages of the Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2018. A total of 756 randomly selected households were involved in the study. The multistage cluster sampling technique was used to select study households. Data were checked, coded, and entered into Epi-Info version 7. Besides, it was exported to SPSS version 20 for data analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was involved to estimate the net effect size of factors associated with latrine ownership. Results: The proportion of households owning latrine was 35.7%. The majority (84.4%) of constructed latrines were utilized by household families. Households advocated latrine IEC by Health Extension Workers (HEWs) (AOR = 1.902, 95% CI: 1.269-2.852), living in their private house (AOR = 3.13, 95% CI: 1.528-6.401), and the occupation status of government employees (AOR = 3.54, 95% CI: 0.586-21.397) are more likely to lead to the construction of latrines. The availability of latrine made on slab floor (AOR = 1.790, 95% CI: 0.297-3.102), having a latrine constructed inside the household compound (AOR = 4.463, 95% CI: 1.021-19.516), and delivery of latrine IEC by Women Development Armies (WDAs) (AOR = 2.425, 95% CI: 0.728-8.083) may lead to better latrine utilization at the household level. Conclusion: Households owning latrine at the community level were low. The desired level of latrine ownership will be realized if all sanitation and hygiene components are kept on eye side by side in line with identified predictor factors.

Dietary Diversity and Associated Factors among Children Aged 6-59 Months in Ethiopia: Analysis of Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2016 (EDHS 2016).

BACKGROUND: Dietary diversity is one of the key elements of diet quality. Even though different measures were taken to increase dietary diversity feeding practice in Ethiopia, the problem still remains high. Therefore, this study was done to identify determinants of inadequate minimum dietary practice among children aged 6-59 months in Ethiopia. METHOD: Secondary analysis of the data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey was done on a weighted sample of 5161 children aged 6-59 months. Data analysis was done using STATA v.14. Variables with P value < 0.05 in the bivariable analysis were candidates for the multivariable analysis to identify independent determinants of dietary diversity. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated at 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: A total of 5161 children aged 6 to 59 months were enrolled in the study. Only 8.5% of the children had the recommended minimum dietary diversity. Mother's education (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.51 (1.65, 3.83)), mothers currently working (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.83 (1.47, 2.29)), mother's wealth index (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 4.75 (3.31, 6.81)), age of a child (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.72 (1.24, 2.39)), and number of under-five children (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.49 (1.12, 2.00)) were significantly associated with the minimum dietary diversity. CONCLUSION: The minimum dietary diversity was not achieved by most children 6-59 months of age in Ethiopia. Ensuring large-scale interventions that focus on the identified factors should be considered by concerned bodies to improve the dietary diversity practice.

Neonatal septicemia at intensive care unit, Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Tigray, North Ethiopia: Bacteriological profile, drug susceptibility pattern, and associated factors.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal septicemia is a life threatening medical emergency that requires timely detection of pathogens with urgent rational antibiotics therapy. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2017 to September 2018 among 317 septicemia suspected neonates at neonatal intensive care unit, Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Mekelle, Tigray, North Ethiopia. A 3 mL of blood was collected from each participant. Identification of bacterial species was done using the standard microbiological techniques. Antibiotic sensitivity test was done using disk diffusion method. Data were entered and analyzed using computer software SPSS version 22. Bivariate and multivariate regression analysis was applied to determine the association between variables. RESULTS: Of the 317 (190 male and 127 female) neonates, 116 (36.6%) were found to be with culture proven septicemia. Klebsiella species were the predominant etiologic agents. Length of hospital stay (AOR (adjusted odds ratio) = 3.65 (2.17-6.13), p < 0.001) and low birth weight (AOR = 1.64 (1.13-2.78), p = 0.04) were the factors associated with neonatalsepticemia. Most isolates showeda frightening drug resistance rate to the commonly used antimicrobial drugs. K. pneumoniae, E. coli, Enterobacter and Citrobacter species were 57% to100% resistant to ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, gentamycin, amoxacillin-clavulunic acid and ampicillin. All, 9 (100%) isolates of S. aureus were resistant to oxacilline, ampicillin,erythromycin and gentamycin. Furthermore, 55.6% S. aureus isolates were Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. CONCLUSION: Neonaltal septicemia is found to be significantly high in the present study. As most of the isolates are potentially related to hospital acquired infections, prevention and control policy should have to be more strengthening in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Determinants of Anemia in Pregnancy: Findings from the Ethiopian Health and Demographic Survey.

In Ethiopia, anemia during pregnancy is a major public health problem and affects both the mother's and their child's health. There is a scarcity of community-based evidence on determinants of anemia among pregnant women in the country. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the determinants of anemia among pregnant women in Ethiopia. Method. This study was based on the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) that used a two-stage stratified cluster sampling technique. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 3080 pregnant women. Data analysis was done using STATA v.14. Variables with P value <0.05 in the bivariate analysis were candidates for the multivariable analysis to identify independent determinants of anemia among pregnant mothers. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated at 95% confidence interval (CI). Results. The overall prevalence of anemia among pregnant women was 41% of which 20% were moderately anemic, 18%, mildly anemic, and 3%, severely anemic. The following were significantly associated with anemia during pregnancy: an age of 30-39 years, receiving no education (AOR = 2.19; 95% CI 1.45, 2.49), belonging to the poorest wealth quintile (AOR = 1.29; 95% CI 1.22, 1.60), being a Muslim (AOR = 1.59; 95% CI 1.69, 2.65), number of house members being 4-6 (AOR = 1.44; 95% CI 1.05, 1.97), number of under-five children being two (AOR = 1.47; 95% CI 1.10, 1.97), head of the household being a female (AOR = 2.02; 95% CI 1.61, 2.54), current pregnancy wanted later (AOR = 1.75; 95% CI 1.23, 1.63), no terminated pregnancy (AOR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.15, 1.93), and an age of 13-17 years at the first sexual intercourse (AOR = 1.97; 95% CI 1.291, 3.00). Conclusions. The study revealed that more than one-third of the pregnant women in Ethiopia were found anemic. Its prevalence varied among regions in which the highest (62.7%) and the lowest (11.9%) were from Somali and Addis Ababa, respectively. Hence, efforts should be made by concerned bodies to intervene in terms of the identified risk factors.

Mass Psychogenic Illness in Haraza Elementary School, Erop District, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: Investigation to the Nature of an Episode.

BACKGROUND: Mass psychogenic illness has been documented for more than 600 years in a variety of cultural, ethnic, and religious settings. We aimed to assess the nature and characteristics of mass psychogenic illness and to evaluate community awareness and perception about the treatment they practiced in Haraza Elementary School, Erop district, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. METHODS: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Haraza Elementary School from January to February, 2020. Students who were victims of an episode were subjects of the study. A total of twelve students were investigated using a semistructured questionnaire for a quantitative study. Seven key informant interviews were conducted using a guiding questionnaire. Quantitative data was analyzed using XL sheet while qualitative data were analyzed manually. RESULTS: The mean age of study participants was 14 years (SD ± 1.3). The majority (87%) were teenage female students. The incident was an unspecified disease with psychiatric disorder, migraine, and syncope with no plausible organic causes. An important feature of migraine and syncope was their comorbidity with mass psychogenic illness. The community perceived that evil devil force and blaming the being as an evil eye were common causes of the occurrence of an episode. CONCLUSION: Lack of empirical knowledge and awareness about its management and prevention among community members and health professionals resulted exaggerated rumor that would perceive as newly emerging disease that affected school activities. Integrating MPI in PHEM package at health facility level, advocacy workshops for media, and other relevant stakeholders will minimize its impact for the future.

Level of Adherence and Associated Factors Among HIV-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Northern Ethiopia: Retrospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Poor adherence to ART increases viremia, which leads to disease progression and transmission of drug-resistant HIV strains. This study aimed to assess the level of ART adherence and associated factors among adolescents and adult patients enrolled in ART care in Northern Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted among 19,525 patients from April 2015 to March 2019. Data verification and filtration were done in Excel 2013 before exporting to STATA 14.0. Ordinal logistic regression was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: About 94.84%, 95% CI (94.52%, 95.14%) of the study subjects were in good adherence. However, about 1.46%, 95% CI (1.30%, 1.64%) and 3.70%, 95% CI (3.44%, 3.97%) of them had poor and fair adherence respectively. In the adjusted analysis, being male (AOR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.0.65, 0.87), patients from general hospitals (AOR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.39, 0.69), WHO staging IV (AOR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.81) and non-suppressed viral load (VL) status (AOR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.47, 0.63) were negatively associated with good adherence. Whereas, age of 50+ years old (AOR = 1.68; 95% CI: 1.13, 2.50), recent CD4 count of 200-499 (AOR = 1.45; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.74) and recent CD4 count of 500 and above (AOR = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.47, 2.32) were positively associated with good ART drug adherence. CONCLUSION: There was a higher level of adherence compared to the previous studies conducted in Ethiopia. Being male, patients from general hospitals, WHO staging II, II and IV and non-suppressed VL status were negatively associated with good adherence. Whereas, older ages, recent CD4 count of 200-499 and ≥500 CD4 count were positively associated with good ART drug adherence. The health system should recognize a higher need of younger age groups and males to design targeted counseling and support to encourage consistently high levels of adherence for a better ART treatment outcome.