Effects of cutaneous leishmaniasis on patients' quality of life.

INTRODUCTION: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is caused by protozoan parasite called Leishmania. It is endemic in more than 100 countries globally. Despite its vast prevalence and impact on quality of life, it is one of the most neglected tropical dermatological diseases. The CL burden has often been expressed based on the physical disfigurement caused by the disease. However, considering the impact of the disease beyond physical impairment and changes in patients' appearance would help to better understand the disease as a public health problem. The effect of CL on patients' quality of life was determined in this study. METHODS: The data that were related to quality of life were collected using Standard one-week Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire. The questions were categorized under seven domains: symptoms & feelings, daily activities, work and school, leisure, personal relationships, and treatment. Each question was scored on a three-point scale: Very much (3), A lot (2), A little (1), Undecided (0), and Not at all (0). The sum of the scores lied between 0 and 48. A higher score shows worse quality of life. The data were entered and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science 23. Frequencies and proportions were used to describe the data. Differences were considered statistically significant at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The lives of the majority of CL patients (60.7%) were significantly affected by CL. The quality of life of patients was moderately impacted by CL in 25% of the CL patients. In 32.1% of the CL patients, the effect of CL on patients' quality of life was very large. The quality of one CL patient's life was extremely largely affected. The disease had a small effect on 32.1% of the CL patients. Personal relationship was the most affected domain followed by symptoms and feelings and treatment. Future study including rural regions is required. CONCLUSION: The Dermatology Life Quality Index demonstrates that CL has a small to extremely very large negative effect on the quality of life of patients.

Evaluation of the sustainability of existing rainwater harvesting ponds: A case study of Lay Gayint District, South Gondar zone, Ethiopia.

In most of the water-scarce areas, rainwater harvesting (RWH) ponds are essential for meeting the stress of water for various purposes. Besides the performance and sustainability of those rainwater harvesting ponds were not evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate the sustainability of existing rainwater harvesting ponds in Lay Gayint District, Ethiopia. The specific objectives of this study were; (1) to assess the perception of farmers on the potential of RWH ponds, and (2) to identify factors influencing the sustainability of RWH ponds. The demographic characteristics of farm households; farmers' perception about RWH ponds; and the socio-economic conditions of households were collected using household surveys and focused group discussions. The collected data was analyzed through quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods. The results of this study revealed that almost all farmers did not have good perceptions of ponds and had not gained enough awareness of the advantages of ponds. The utilization of the ponds was surrounded by constraints like poor quality and short lifetime of the constructed ponds; low involvement of farmers within the construction of ponds; and wrong-site selection. The incidence of local disputes among the farmers was the most important impact that un-utilized ponds have exerted on the community. About 78 % of the ponds were found in a failed state and 75 % of the ponds have no fences. The construction of RWH ponds in rural districts was based on a quota system which resulted in low sustainability. About 72.2 % of the respondents have not participated in the construction of RWH ponds, on the other hand, 81.5 % didn't get any training about RWH. The majority of the respondents replied that they have no money for constructing and maintaining their ponds. Due to the different factors most of the RWH ponds didn't store and serve for the designed service period which failed to satisfy the water demand. The government shall give attention to the sustainability of ponds by facilitating the involvement of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in capacity building, technical and financial support.

Factors associated with the preference of institutional delivery after antenatal care attendance in Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Even though maternal mortality during the time of delivery can be prevented with proper medical care in the health facilities with skilled healthcare professionals, unexpectedly death is still high and is a persistent challenge for low-income countries. Therefore identifying factors affecting the preference of institutional delivery after antenatal care service attendance is a key intervention to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. METHOD: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted using face to face using interviewer-administered questionnaire from a total of 528 women who gave their last birth within 12 months prior to the study period who attended antenatal care (ANC) services. Descriptive statistics, bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions analysis were performed. Statistical significance was considered at p < 0.05 and odds ratio with 95% CI were calculated to examine factors associated with institutional delivery. RESULTS: Of the 528 pregnant women attending ANC services, 250 (47.3%) gave birth in health facilities (95% CI: 43.2, 51.7%). Urban residence [AOR = 7.8, 95% CI: 4.1, 15.6], four or more ANC visits [AOR = 4.5, 95% CI: 1.6, 12.3], those who got health education on ANC [AOR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.5, 5.6] and decision on place of delivery with her partner agreement [AOR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.3, 8.7] were found to be contributing factors for the preference of institutional delivery. CONCLUSION: Institutional delivery was not adequate. Residence, number of antenatal care visits, health education, decisions making on a place of delivery and having awareness of the difference of place of delivery were contributing factors for the preference of institutional delivery.