Prevalence of Trachoma After Three Rounds of Antibiotic Mass Drug Administration in 13 Woredas of Gambella Region, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Following baseline surveys in 2013 and 2014, trachoma elimination interventions, including three rounds of azithromycin mass drug administration (MDA), were implemented in 13 woredas (administrative districts) of Gambella Regional State, Ethiopia. We conducted impact surveys to determine if elimination thresholds have been met or if additional interventions are required. METHODS: Cross-sectional population-based surveys were conducted in 13 woredas of Gambella Regional State, combined into five evaluation units (EUs), 6─12 months after their last MDA round. A two-stage systematic (first stage) and random (second stage) sampling technique was used. WHO-recommended protocols were implemented with the support of Tropical Data. Household water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) access was assessed. RESULTS: The age-adjusted prevalence of trachomatous inflammation - follicular (TF) in 1-9-year-olds in the five EUs ranged from 0.3-19.2%, representing a general decline in TF prevalence compared to baseline estimates. The age- and gender-adjusted prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis (TT) unknown to the health system in those aged ≥ 15 years ranged from 0.47-3.08%. Of households surveyed, 44% had access to an improved drinking water source within a 30-minute return journey of the house, but only 3% had access to an improved latrine. CONCLUSION: In two EUs, no further MDA should be delivered, and a surveillance survey should be conducted after two years without MDA. In one EU, one further round of MDA should be conducted followed by another impact survey. In two EUs, three further MDA rounds are required. Surgery, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement interventions are needed throughout the region.

Post COVID-19 vaccination side effects and associated factors among vaccinated health care providers in Oromia region, Ethiopia in 2021.

BACKGROUND: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS COV-2) known as COVID-19 since its outbreak in 2019, more than 375 and 5.6 million were infected and dead, respectively. Its influence in all disciplines stimulated different industries to work day to night relentlessly to develop safe and effective vaccines to reduce the catastrophic effect of the disease. With the increasing number of people globally who have been vaccinated, the reports on possible adverse events have grown and gained great public attention. This study aims to determine post-COVID-19 vaccination adverse effects and associated factors among vaccinated Health care providers in the Oromia region, Ethiopia in 2021. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 912 health care workers working in government hospitals in the central Oromia region from November 20 to December 15/2021. Respondents absent from work due to different reasons were excluded during the interview. The outcome variable was COVID-19 side effects (response as Yes/No). A descriptive analysis displayed findings in the form of the frequencies and percentages, and logistic regression was employed to see the association of different variables with side effects experienced. RESULT: Overall, 92.1% of the participants experienced side effects either in 1st or 2nd doses of post-COVID-19 vaccination; 84.0% and (71.5%) of participants experienced at least one side effect in the 1st and 2nd dose of the vaccines, respectively. COVID-19 infection preventive protocols like keeping distance, hand wash using soap, wearing mask and using sanitizer were decreased post vaccination. About 74.3% of the respondents were worried about the adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccine they received. The majority (80.2%) of the respondent felt fear while receiving the vaccine and 22.5% of the respondents suspect the effectiveness of the vaccine they took. About 14.8% of the vaccinated Health workers were infected by COVID-19 post-vaccination. Engaging in moderate physical activity and feeling fear when vaccinated were the independent factors associated with reported side effects of post-COVID-19 vaccination using multiple logistic regression. Respondents who did not engage in physical activity were 7.54 fold more likely to develop post-COVID-19 vaccination side effects compared to those who involved at least moderate-intensity physical activity[AOR = 7.54, 95% CI;2.46,23.12]. The odds of experiencing side effects among the respondents who felt fear when vaccinated were 10.73 times compared not felt fear (AOR = 10.73, 95% CI; 2.47,46.64), and similarly, those who felt little fear were 4.28 times more likely to experience side effects(AOR = 4.28, 95% CI; 1.28, 14.39). CONCLUSION: Significant numbers of the respondents experienced side effects post COVID-19 vaccination. It is recommended to provide pre-awareness about the side effects to reduce observed anxiety related to the vaccine. It is also important to plan monitoring and evaluation of the post-vaccine effect using standard longitudinal study designs to measure the effects directly.

Determinants of early discontinuation of long-acting and reversible contraceptive methods among women within childbearing age attending health facilities in Ethiopia, 2019.

Objective: This study aimed to identify the determinants of early discontinuation of long-acting and reversible contraceptive methods among women within childbearing age in Ethiopia, 2019. Methods: The institutional-based case-control study design was implemented from June to August 2019. Eligible study participants were sampled using systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected using structured and pre-tested questionnaire and entered into Epi Info and exported to SPSS version 20 for further analysis. All variables with a p value of <0.05 at odds ratio of 95% confidence interval in multivariable logistic regression analysis were considered as determinants of early discontinuation of long-acting and reversible contraceptive methods. Results: A total of 825 study participants (206 cases and 619 controls) were included in the study. Decision-making on the use of contraception (adjusted odds ratio: 4.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.4-16.8 and adjusted odds ratio: 5.6, 95% confidence interval: 1.7-18.8), the women who got counseled about side effects of contraceptive methods being 84% less likely to discontinue long-acting and reversible contraceptive methods compared to the women of their counterpart (adjusted odds ratio: 0.16, 95% confidence interval: 0.15-0.4), having two or more children (adjusted odds ratio: 10, 95% confidence interval: 3.7-28), and desire to be pregnant (adjusted odds ratio = 0.15 95% confidence interval: 0.06-0.4) were determinants of early discontinuation of long-acting and reversible contraceptive methods. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, decision-maker on utilization of contraceptive methods, being counseled on side effects of contraception, number of children, and desire of woman to be pregnant were found to be determinants of discontinuation of long-acting and reversible contraceptive methods. Health care providers should strengthen providing pre-insertion counseling in accordance with the national guideline for family planning services, with an emphasis on potential contraceptive side effects and consideration of counseling on decision-making.

Survival Patterns and Predictors of Mortality among COVID-19 Patients Admitted to Treatment Centers in Oromia Region, Ethiopia.

Purpose: To assess survival patterns and predictors of mortality among patients admitted with COVID-19 to treatment centers in the Oromia region of Ethiopia from April 1 to August 31, 2021. Methods: A prospective cohort study design was employed, taking a sample of 854 patients selected from eight treatment centers in the region. The follow-up duration was the time interval from admission to the treatment center until the final disposition of patients at discharge (death, recovery, or failed to recover). Data were collected by computer tablet with an interviewer-administered questionnaire and checklist designed using CSPro 7.5 and exported to Stata 13 for analysis. Descriptive analysis was used to explore the characteristics of patients. The mortality rate was estimated by number of deaths per 1,000 person-days of observation. The survival duration was estimated by medians with IQR. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare the survival experiences of patients. To identify the predictors of time to death after hospitalization, a Cox proportional-hazard model was used. The magnitude of association was estimated using HRs with 95% CIs, and statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Results: The mortality rate among hospitalized patients was 9.9 per 1,000 person-days of observation and the median survival time after admission was 9 (IQR 9-10) days. Higher hazard of death was observed among patients who drank alcohol (AHR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.3), required anticoagulants (AHR 10, 95% CI 1.2-91.5), glucocorticoids (AHR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.8), and oxygen (AHR 4.7, 95% CI 1.1-22.0), those with acute respiratory distress syndrome (AHR 2.9, 95% CI 1.7-5.1), and critical patients admitted to intensive care units (AHR 3.4, 95% CI 2.0-5.9). Conclusion: The hazard of death is significantly predicted by alcohol use, requiring anticoagulants, glucocorticoids, or oxygen medication, acute respiratory distress syndrome complication, and being critical when admitted to intensive care units.

Adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures and associated factors in Oromia regional state of Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Adherence to preventive measures of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was among the means to tackle the transmission of the virus. However, reluctance to implement the recommended preventive measures has been reported to be a major problem everywhere including Oromia Regional State. PURPOSE: This research was aimed to assess the level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures and associated factors in the study area. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Community based cross-sectional study was conducted. Sample of 2751 adults aged ≥ 18 years were used for the quantitative study. Also, 20 FGDs and 30 KIIs were conducted in the qualitative approach. The collected data were entered into Epi info version 7.2.0.1 and analyzed using STATA 15. The qualitative data were entered into NVivo version 12 for its organization. Bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between the study variables. Odds Ratio with its 95%CI was calculated and P- Value < 0.05 was used as a cut off points to declare the significance. RESULTS: The level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measure was 8.3. Age [AOR, 4.00; 95% CI: 1.50, 10.45], Illiterate AOR, 0.38; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.93], read and write [AOR, 0.26; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.72], attended primary [AOR, 0.30; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.70], occupation (AOR; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.96] and knowledge [AOR, 0.20; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.11] were factors associated with level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. Political context, unemployment, livelihoods, and social events were mentioned as reasons for the poor adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. CONCLUSIONS: The overall level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures in the study area was low. Age, level of education, occupation, and knowledge were factors associated with level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. Activities to increase the adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures should be implemented by the concerned bodies.

The Prevalence and Determinant Factors of Self-Reported Depressive Symptoms Among Elderly People with Visual Impairment Attending an Outpatient Clinic in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Depression among older adults with visual impairment is the commonest psychiatric problem and causes a range of effects in on disability and progression of visual health outcomes that may even end in death. In Ethiopia, there are gaps in the detection of the comorbidity of mental health problems especially depressive symptoms among those older people. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of self-reported depressive symptoms and determinant factors among the elderly people with visual impairment attending the ophthalmologic outpatient clinic. METHODS: A group of 423 elderly people with visual impairment invited by systematic random sampling technique to took part in the interview for this cross-sectional study at Menelik II referral hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from January to June 2019. Descriptive statistics like frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to summarize the distribution of the data. Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the associated factors. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used for reporting the result, and a p-value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of self-reported depressive symptoms among elderly people with visual impairment was 26.7% with a 95% confidence interval (22.6-30.8). Widowhood, single and/divorced [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR)= 3.17, 95% CI: 1.71, 5.91]; [AOR=2.70, 95% CI: 1.35, 5.38], respectively, poor social support [AOR=4.34, 95% CI: 1.84, 10.24], severe level [AOR=2.63, 95% CI: 1.73, 6.63] and longer duration (>5 years) of the illness [AOR=3.15, 95% CI: 1.60, 6.19] were the factors significantly associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: The Prevalence of self-reported depressive symptoms among elderly people with visual impairment in Ethiopia was high. Public health interventions targeting risky individuals with high depressive symptoms are needed to reduce depressive symptoms and to prevent disability and poor medical illnesses outcomes related to depressive symptoms.