Determinants of Neonatal Jaundice among Neonates Admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Public General Hospitals of Central Zone, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, 2019: a Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal jaundice is common a clinical problem worldwide. Globally, every year, about 1.1 million babies develop severe hyperbilirubinemia with or without bilirubin encephalopathy and the vast majority reside in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Strategies and information on determinants of neonatal jaundice in sub-Saharan Africa are limited. So, investigating determinant factors of neonatal jaundice has paramount importance in mitigating jaundice-related neonatal morbidity and mortality. Methodology. Hospital-based unmatched case-control study was conducted by reviewing medical charts of 272 neonates in public general hospitals of the central zone of Tigray, northern Ethiopia. The sample size was calculated using Epi Info version 7.2.2.12, and participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique. One year medical record documents were included in the study. Data were collected through a data extraction format looking on the cards. Data were entered to the EpiData Manager version 4.4.2.1 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive and multivariate analysis was performed. Binary logistic regression was used to test the association between independent and dependent variables. Variables at p value less than 0.25 in bivariate analysis were entered to a multivariable analysis to identify the determinant factors of jaundice. The level of significance was declared at p value <0.05. RESULTS: A total of 272 neonatal medical charts were included. Obstetric complication (AOR: 5.77; 95% CI: 1.85-17.98), low birth weight (AOR: 4.27; 95% CI:1.58-11.56), birth asphyxia (AOR: 4.83; 95% CI: 1.617-14.4), RH-incompatibility (AOR: 5.45; 95% CI: 1.58-18.74), breastfeeding (AOR: 6.11; 95% CI: 1.71-21.90) and polycythemia (AOR: 7.32; 95% CI: 2.51-21.311) were the determinants of neonatal jaundice. CONCLUSION: Obstetric complication, low birth weight, birth asphyxia, RH-incompatibility, breastfeeding, and polycythemia were among the determinants of neonatal jaundice. Hence, early prevention and timely treatment of neonatal jaundice are important since it was a cause of long-term complication and death in neonates.

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection, Mother-To-Child Transmission, and Associated Risk Factors Among Delivering Mothers in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia: a Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: High prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among pregnant women is the primary source of infection for their children and the general population. Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is the primary mode of transmission in endemic areas like Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBV infection, rate of MTCT, and associated risk factors among delivering mothers. METHODS: This health facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in four public hospitals of the Eastern zone of Tigray among 473 delivering mothers. Structured questionnaires and laboratory results were used to collect the data. The data were checked for completeness and entered into EpiData manager version 4.6.0.0. Then the data were exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The odds ratio, along with a 95% confidence interval, was estimated to identify predictors of HBV infection using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Significant association was considered at p < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 473 mothers were enrolled, and the response rate was 100%. The prevalence of HBV infection among the mothers and the rate of MTCT of the infection were 11.6% and 30.9%, respectively. History of home delivery [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 4.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) (2, 10.6)], history of hospital admission [AOR = 5, 95% CI (2.2, 11.5)], working at health facility [AOR = 5.4, 95% CI (1.4, 20.7)], body tattoos [AOR = 5.8, 95% CI (2.4, 13.6)], sharing personal care materials [AOR = 3.8, 95% CI (1.4, 9.9)], insufficient knowledge [AOR = 5.6, 95% CI (1.6, 19)], and having human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [AOR = 5.1, 95% CI (1, 26.2)] were significantly associated with HBV infection. CONCLUSION: HBV infection among delivering women is becoming highly endemic, and the rate of MTCT was high. Therefore, administering hepatitis B vaccine to all neonates within 24 h of birth is mandatory to prevent MTCT of HBV infection and related complications. Furthermore, health education and dissemination of information about HBV for the pregnant mothers are needed to reduce HBV infection and vertical transmission in Ethiopia.