Virological Outcomes Among Pregnant Women Receiving Antiretroviral Treatment in the Amhara Region, North West Ethiopia.

Background: Globally, approximately 35 million people are infected with HIV infection. Sub-Saharan countries contributed 71% of global burden. Women are the most affected groups accounting for 51% of global infection and 90% of HIV infections in children (<15 years) are a result of mother to child transmission. In the absence of any intervention, mother-to-child transmission has been estimated to 30-40% that could occur at various periods like during pregnancy, delivery, and post-partum, via breastfeeding. For future generations to be born HIV-free, evidences on the level of viremia and contributing factors in pregnant mothers is important. Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the magnitude of viral non-suppression rate among pregnant women and identify the risk factors associated with viral non-suppression. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 01, 2021 to June 30, 2022, in pregnant women who are on antiretroviral treatment and attending HIV viral load testing in Amhara region viral load testing sites, North West Ethiopia. Socio-demographic, clinical, and HIV-1 RNA viral load data were collected from the excel database. The data were analyzed in SPSS 23.0 statistical software. Results: Overall viral non-suppression rate was 9.1%. In other words, the viral suppression rate was 90.9%. Pregnant women being at AIDS stages III and IV and with fair treatment adherence and suspected testers were statistically associated with increased viral non-suppression rate. Conclusion: Relatively low viral non-suppression rate among pregnant mothers that had almost met the third 90 of UNAIDS target. But, still, some mothers received a non-suppressed viral replication specifically the odds of having a non-suppressed viral load was higher in pregnant women with poor treatment adherence and WHO Stage III and IV and suspected testers.

Effectiveness of healthcare workers and volunteers training on improving tuberculosis case detection: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis is the second most common infectious cause of death globally. Low TB case detection remains a major challenge to achieve the global End TB targets. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine whether training of health professionals and volunteers increase TB case detection. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials and non-randomized control trials reporting on the effectiveness of health professionals and volunteers training on TB case detection. We searched PubMed, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, and reference sections of included articles from inception through to 15 February 2021, for studies published in English. Study screening, data extraction, and bias assessments were performed independently by two reviewers with third and fourth reviewers participating to resolve conflicts. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist. Meta-analyses were performed with a random effect model to estimate the effectiveness of training intervention on TB case detection. RESULTS: Of the 2015 unique records identified through our search strategies, 2007 records were excluded following the screening, leaving eight studies to be included in the final systematic review and meta-analysis. The results showed that providing training to health professionals and volunteers significantly increased TB case detection (RR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.53, 1.66). There was not a significant degree of heterogeneity across the included study on the outcome of interest (I2 = 0.00%, p = 0.667). CONCLUSIONS: Providing training to healthcare workers and volunteers can increase TB case detection.

Effectiveness of home visiting on tuberculosis case detection: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a public health agenda globally. Most TB cases are detected using the usual passive method. Starting a decade, cases are detected using an active detection strategy. The home-visiting strategy is one of the active case findings approaches. However, no study shows the pooled effect of home visiting on tuberculosis case detection rate. Thus, we conducted this study to evaluate the effectiveness of home visiting on tuberculosis case detection. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the PRISMA checklist was used to report findings. A systematic comprehensive search was done to address all possible search databases. We used to search databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Science Direct to identify relevant articles. Data were extracted by two authors and consistency was checked by two co-authors. Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of studies. Data were extracted using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet then; data were transferred to Stata version 16 for further analysis. Heterogeneity across studies was checked using the Q statistics (I2). RESULTS: Overall, 4174 articles were found. Two thousand one hundred seventy-five (2175) articles were excluded due to duplications. One thousand nine hundred twenty-four articles were excluded after reviewing titles and abstracts. Seventy-five articles were assessed using their full texts articles and 70 articles were excluded with unclear outcomes and poor methodological quality. Finally, 5 articles were selected for the final analysis. In all studies, the case-notification rate was significantly increased in the intervention arm than the control arm. The pooled effect size was RR: 1.65 (95% CI: 0.92, 2.39). This study showed that there was a significant heterogeneity (I2 = 98.9%, P < 0.001). Visual examination of the funnel plot showed asymmetric distribution. However, the egger's and bigger tests showed there was no significant publication bias ((P = 0.313). CONCLUSION: Home to home visiting is an effective TB case finding method as compared to the usual passive detection methods. The health system should be strengthened home to home visiting to enhance TB case detection. The protocol PROSPERO registration was CRD42021227860.

Evaluation of the postal service for referral of specimen of drug resistance tuberculosis in Amhara region, Ethiopia; mixed method.

BACKGROUND: In Ethiopia, specimens of presumptive drug resistant tuberculosis cases are transported by courier system from district sample collection centers to reference laboratories. It is essential to track the effectiveness of the referral system and identify challenges in order to take timely and appropriate actions. We assessed turnaround time and quality of specimens, and explored challenges of the specimen referral system in Amhara region, Ethiopia, 2017. METHODS: With mixed methods, we retrospectively examined 385 randomly selected presumptive drug resistance TB specimens, and interviewed 53 purposively selected key informants from laboratories and post offices. We calculated median TAT and proportion of acceptable quality. We analyzed qualitative data thematically. RESULTS: Of the 385 specimens, 94.5% (364/385) had acceptable quality at arrival in the reference laboratories. All the 364 specimens had result. Three - fourth (76.1%) of results were dispatched to the referring health facilities within the recommended turnaround time. Ineffective communication and lack of feedback among institutions were mentioned as challenges. CONCLUSION: The postal service was effective in keeping quality and majority of test results were timely delivered. Yet, there were operational challenges. Therefore, effective communication, using dedicated vehicle for specimen shipment and awareness creation on specimen collection and handling are recommended.

Prevalence of active tuberculosis disease among healthcare workers and support staff in healthcare settings of the Amhara region, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Health care workers (HCWs) are at an increased risk of acquiring tuberculosis (TB) compared to the general population, because of the frequent face to face contact or potential exposure to TB through shared air or space with infectious patient(s), regardless of economic setting and local TB incidence. Information on the burden of active TB disease among HCWs will help guide control measures, can be utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of TB infection prevention programs in the health care setting, and guide necessary actions. However, data on TB among HCW in Ethiopia is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of active TB disease among healthcare workers and support staff in healthcare settings in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to recruit a total of 580 randomly selected study participants in the Amhara region. Data were collected over four months in selected hospitals and health centers. Implementation of TB prevention and control measures was evaluated using a standardized checklist. The main outcome indicator was active TB as measured by a laboratory diagnosis using GeneXpert technology. RESULTS: A total of 580 study participants were enrolled. The mean age was 31.3 (±7.8 standard deviation) years, with about two-thirds (65.3%) aged between 18-24 years. A total of 9 (1.6%) MTB cases were detected, 4 (1.4%) in HCWs and 5 (1.7%) in support staff, which did not significantly differ (P = 0.50). About 90% of the participants had not received TB infection prevention and control training ever. More than half (54%) of the study participants worked in poorly ventilated rooms. Triage of coughing patients was not practiced in 32% of the studied facilities (health centers and hospitals). CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of TB among healthcare workers and support staff in healthcare settings was higher than in the general population (140 per 100000 population). The status of implementation of tuberculosis prevention and control measures indicated missed opportunities. Hence, strict implementation of developed infection control plans of TB in healthcare settings needs to be improved.

Evaluation of continuous quality improvement of tuberculosis and HIV diagnostic services in Amhara Public Health Institute, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Unreliable laboratory results lead to unnecessary tests, procedures or treatments which may harm the patient. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is a useful objective tool to improve processes and services. The use of quality indicators that meet requirements for effectiveness is an important quality improvement tool. However, the quality of critical aspects of pre-examination, examination, and post-examination processes have not been evaluated in Ethiopia including our setting. Hence, this study aimed to assess the performance of continuous quality improvement of TB and HIV laboratory tests in the Amhara Public Health Institute (APHI). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the quality indicators of advanced TB and HIV related laboratory tests in APHI from 01 January to 30 September 2019. HIV viral load, exposed infant diagnosis (EID), GeneXpert and TB culture quality indicators data were used as a quality improvement tool and evaluated in comparison to established targets. Data were extracted from excel database and record review of patient information, and entered and analyzed using SPSS V20 software. RESULTS: A total of 26,487 samples were received from 01 January to 30 September 2019. The overall specimen rejection rate was 0.43% (115/26,487). Specifically, viral load and TB culture had 0.43% and 1.14% rejection rates, respectively. The highest monthly rejection was documented for TB culture (5.3%) and viral load (2.4%) in September 2019. Centrifugation problems (46.1% [53/115]) and the use of the wrong container (40.9% [47/115]) were the main reasons for the rejections. Moreover, EID test was interrupted for a total of 54 days and 22 days due to reagent stock out and equipment down time, respectively. Similarly, about 82% of viral load and 100% of the EID tests had long turnaround time (TAT) with an average of 24.1 and 29.3 days respectively in September 2019. CONCLUSIONS: There were high rates of TB culture and viral load specimen rejection, and EID test interruptions. The TAT of viral load and EID tests were longer than the targeted goal (10 days) average TAT. Hence, training of sample collectors, functional equipment maintenance systems and supply chain management are recommended for continuous quality improvement.

Viral suppression rate among children tested for HIV viral load at the Amhara Public Health Institute, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected children represent a very vulnerable population for anti-retroviral therapy (ART) drug resistance. As a global target, 90% of patients receiving ART should have HIV-RNA viral suppression. A threshold of > 1000 RNA copies/ml is used to define non-suppressed viral load. If it is confirmed in the laboratory, adherence should be addressed and should be followed by the switch to second-line ART. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the rate of viral load suppression among children tested at the Amhara Public Health Institute (APHI), Bahir Dar. METHODS: Institutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted from July 01, 2017 to June 30, 2018, in children under the age of 15 years. Socio-demographic, clinical and HIV1RNA viral load data were collected from the excel database. The data were analyzed in SPSS 20.0 statistical software. RESULTS: A total of 1567 children, age ranged from one to 14 years, were tested for HIV viral load. Of which, about 54% were males. Children were treated using nevirapine-based (76.7%), efavirenz-based (21.8%) and protease inhibitor-based (1.5%) anti-retroviral drugs. Non-suppressed HIV viral load was found in 28.3% of the participants. High viral load (> 1000 cp/ml) were found in 24% of the children below the age of five years. Children on nevirapine-based treatment had about two times more non-suppressed viral load (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.90; 95%CI: 1.41-2.56; P < 0.001) compared to those who had efavirenz-based treatment. However, adherence (P: 0.204) was not associated with non-suppressed viral load. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high rate of non-suppressed HIV viral load among children tested at APHI. Specifically, the odds of having a non-suppressed viral load was higher in NVP based treatment users. Hence, comprehensive management and follow up of children on ART, and testing for resistance as well as viral load could help to reduce the problem in advance.

Magnitude of delayed turnaround time of laboratory results in Amhara Public Health Institute, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Clinical decisions depend on timely laboratory result reporting. The timeliness is commonly expressed in turnaround time and serves as a quality improvement tool to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the laboratory. According to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines, each laboratory shall establish turnaround times for each of its examinations that reflect clinical needs, and shall periodically evaluate whether or not it is meeting the established turnaround times. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the TAT of laboratory results done in the reference laboratories of the Amhara Public Health Institute, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective cross sectional study was carried out from 01 January to 31 September 2018. Each patient sample was considered as a study unit. Nine months data were extracted from the sample tracking log and from the Laboratory Information System (LIS) database. Descriptive and summary statistics were calculated using SPSS version 20.0 statistical software. RESULTS: A total of 34,233 patients samples were tested during the study period. Monthly average TAT ranged from 38.6 to 51.3 days for tuberculosis (TB) culture, 5.3 to 42.4 days for exposed infant diagnosis (EID) for HIV, 8.4 to 26 days for HIV 1 viral load, and 1.9 to 3.5 days for TB genexpert tests. Compared with the standard, 76.5% of the viral load, 68.1% of the EID for HIV and 53.8% of the TB genexpert tests had delayed TAT. Repeated reagent stock out, high workload, activities overlapping, and staff turnover were major reasons for the result delays. CONCLUSIONS: There was a delayed turnaround time of laboratory results in APHI. HIV viral load, EID and TB genexpert results were the most affected tests. Workload reduction plan, proper stock management, specific work assignment and trained staff retention are important approaches to minimize the delayed TAT in the setting.

Delay in tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment in Amhara state, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Delayed presentation is a major problem contributing to the high burden and transmission of tuberculosis (TB) in developing countries. The delay may be due to patient delay if the patient visits health-facility for diagnosis after the onset of symptoms of more than 3 weeks or health system delay if the patient is not diagnosed and treated at the time of the first visit. Ethiopia, where no more than two-thirds of TB cases are detected is no exception. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess delay in diagnosis of tuberculosis among patients taking anti-TB treatment in North Shoa Zone, Ethiopia. METHODS: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from 01 to 30 December 2017. All TB patients who took their treatment in the health facilities of the seven selected districts of North Shoa Zone were included. Data was entered into EPI INFO version 3.5.1 statistical software and transferred into SPSS version 20.0 for further analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was used to identify associated factors for delayed TB diagnosis. RESULTS: Out of 170 tuberculosis patients included, 162 patients were studied with a response rate of 95.3%. The proportion of tuberculosis patients who had delayed diagnosis was 59.9%. The mean time of health-seeking after developing the symptom of tuberculosis was 7.6 weeks. Tuberculosis patients with extra pulmonary site involvements were about four times more likely to be delayed in seeking health services (OR: 4.00, 95% CI: 1.77-9.03) as compared to patients with pulmonary TB. New patients were about three times more likely to come lately for TB diagnosis (OR: 2.94, 95% CI: 1.26-6.84) as compared to patients who had previous-history of treatment. Patients who had no information about TB before they started TB treatment were also around three times to be delayed (OR: 3.37, 95% CI: 1.43-8.00) as compared to those who had the information. CONCLUSIONS: More than 50% of TB patients reported in health-seeking relatively a longer time. Strengthening the health education activities for the community about tuberculosis and capacity building of the health care provider to increase suspicion of identifying tuberculosis and early diagnosis is crucial.

Specimen rejections among referred specimens through referral network to the Amhara Public Health Institute for laboratory testing, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude, trend and reasons of rejection among referred specimens through referral network to the Amhara Public Health Institute (APHI) for laboratory testing. RESULTS: A total of 42,923 specimens were received at APHI reference laboratories. Of which, 221 (0.5%) specimens were rejected. CD4, HIV viral load, genexpert and EID specimens' rejection rates were 0.7%, 0.6%, 0.3% and 0.2%, respectively. CD4 specimens were rejected due to wrong package (84.2%) and presence of clots (15.8%). Un-centrifuge (46.9%), hemolysis (19.8%) and use of wrong tube (17.7%) were the main rejection reasons for HIV viral load specimens. Although viral load specimen rejection was improved from 1.8 to 0% up to February/2018, the problem was reoccurred and continued to the end of May (1.3%) and June (0.3%) 2018. Moreover, CD4 specimen rejection (4.3%) was out of the established target in May, and exposed infant diagnosis (EID) specimen rejection became increased since March 2018. Hence, appropriate corrective and preventive actions and close follow up could reduce the problem of specimen referral network.

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in children under the age of 5 years attending the Debre Birhan referral hospital, North Shoa, Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: Intestinal parasitic infection is one of the major childhood health problems in developing countries. In Ethiopia, epidemiological data for several localities is limited. Hence, the aim of this study is to assess intestinal parasitic infections among under-five children attending in Debre Birhan referral hospital, which could help to decrease morbidity and mortality in children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in February, 2014. Stool specimens were collected and examined using concentration method. RESULTS: Out of the 247 under-five children participated, 17.4% (95% CI 12.7-22.1%) of the children were infected with at least one or more protozoa parasites (14.2% [95% CI 9.9-18.5%]) and helminthes (3.2% [95% CI 1.0-5.4%]). Giardia lamblia (8.5%), Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (5.7%), Trichuris trichiura (1.6%) and Ascaris lumbricoides (1.2%) were the most identified parasites. Parasitic infection was higher in children who had source of drinking water from the river (36.8%), among children from mothers with poor hand washing practice (31.7%), and among children born from illiterate mothers (27.5%). This revealed that intestinal parasites affect the health of under-five children in the setting. Hence, improving environmental hygiene and inadequate water sanitation, and health education for behavioral changes to personal hygiene would be crucial for effective control of the parasite infections.

Prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time and platelet counts of type II diabetes mellitus: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of cardiovascular disease due to thrombosis is 2-4 folds greater in diabetic patients. Prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time and platelet count are hematological indices that give an insight into the coagulation status. Hence, this study aims to assess the coagulation status of type II diabetic patients. METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at Bahir Dar Felege Hiwot referral hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 40 treated type II diabetic, 40 untreated diabetics and 40 non-diabetic subjects were included. After taking informed consent, structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data. Following interview, 4 ml of blood was collected to determine PT, aPTT and platelet count of the three groups. The data were entered into SPSS version 20 and analyzed. One-way ANOVA was used to compare means of PT, aPTT and platelet count among the groups. A P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean aPTT of non-diabetic, treated and untreated type II diabetic patient was 32.8 ± 4.12 s, 34.4 ± 5.3 s, and 25.42 ± 8.46 s, respectively. The proportion of untreated diabetic patients with normal PT, aPTT and platelet counts was 60.0%, 7.5 and 92.5%, respectively. There was a significant shortening of aPTT in untreated diabetic as compared to both treated and non-diabetic controls (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Shortening of aPTT in untreated type II diabetic patients might be useful marker in patients with diabetes. Therefore, monitoring the aPTT in newly diagnosed diabetic patients is important.

Magnitude of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) Colonization among HIV-Infected Patients Attending ART Clinic in West Amhara Government Hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Enterococci that colonize the intestinal tract of immunocompromised patients are an important cause of nosocomial infections. Data on the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) and its antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and associated factors are scarce in the present study area. Therefore, this study was conducted aimed at determining the prevalence of VRE colonization among HIV-infected patients attending ART clinic at West Amhara Government Hospitals. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 February 2017 to 31 May 2017. A total of 349 HIV patients were included in the study. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data and possible associated factors for VRE colonization. Identification and confirmation of Enterococci from stool sample was performed based on the standard procedures. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method on the Muller-Hinton agar plate as per the standard protocol, and resistance profile of the isolates was determined according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLIS). Data were analyzed using SPSS v23. Descriptive analysis was used to visualize differences within data. Moreover, the stepwise logistic regression model was done to assess factors associated with VRE colonization. P value was set at 0.05 to indicate statistical significance difference. RESULTS: The overall colonization status of Enterococci was at 63% (220/349). The VRE colonization was at 17 (7.7% (95% CI: 4.9-12.0)). Among Enterococcal isolates tested for antimicrobial susceptibility, 142 (64.5%) were found resistant to two or more antibiotics. Antibiotic treatment (for >2 weeks) and history of hospital admission in the last six month were found statistically associated for VRE colonization (AOR = 10.18, (95% CI: 1.9-53.20)) and (AOR = 20.17; (95% CI: 5.22-77.93)), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The observed VRE with multidrug resistance colonization need a periodic surveillance of antimicrobial testing to detect emerging resistance and prevent the spread of further drug resistance.

External quality assessment of malaria microscopy diagnosis among public health facilities in West Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the importance of external quality assessment program on malaria microscopic diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 3148 slides were collected in 4 consecutive external quality assessment rounds and blindly rechecked at Amhara Public Health Institute. The average agreement between health facility and APHI slide readers was 96.6%. The percent agreement for parasite detection and species identification for P. falciparum became improved in four consecutive EQA rounds from 93.88 to 99.24% and 92.67 to 97.35% respectively. The rates of false positive and false negative were also dramatically decreased in each round from 10.5 to 0.79% and 2.14 to 0.74% respectively. Therefore, we recommend that malaria EQA program should maintain and expand in all malaria diagnostic health facilities in the region to provide accurate and reliable malaria microscopic service.

Helminth infections and practice of prevention and control measures among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Anbesame health center, Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Helminth infections have a terrible impact on child growth and development, and harm pregnant women. Regular treatment and long term preventive interventions are important measures to break the transmission routes. Hence, identifying the status of helminth infection and practices of prevention and control measures among pregnant women is important in different geographical areas of Ethiopia including our setting. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 180 pregnant women from March to June, 2015. About 2 g of stool was collected and examined to identify helminth infections. Proportions and risk factors of helminth infections were calculated using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: Among the total 180 study participants, 38 (21.1% [95% CI 15.2-27.0%]) pregnant women had helminth infections. Hookworm and Schistosoma mansoni were the only identified helminth species. Thirty-six (20.0% [95% CI 14.3-25.7%]) and 4 (2.2% [95% CI 0.2-4.2%]) pregnant women had hookworm and S. mansoni infections, respectively. Of which, double infection (hookworm and S. mansoni) was found in two pregnant women. Only 32 (17.8%) pregnant women had proper hand wash practice after toilet, 48 (26.7%) drank treated water, and 40 (22.2%) wore shoes regularly. Those pregnant women who did not take albendazole or mebendazole dewormers (AOR 3.57; 95% CI 1.19-10.69; P 0.023) were more infected from helminth infections. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that there was a high intestinal helminth infection among pregnant women, and low practice of prevention and control measures. Thus, prevention and control measures should be strengthened in the setting.

Low satisfaction of clients for the health service provision in West Amhara region, Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: Client satisfaction is a key indicator to measure quality of healthcare and provides information on the level of success forproviders whether client expectations and values are met. Although there are some institutional based studies done in Ethiopia, still client satisfaction in our settings is not well addressed. Thus, this study was aimed to assess client satisfaction level and identify the underlying factors of poor health service provision in West Amhara, Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was conducted from July to August, 2013. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 422 outpatient diagnosis (OPD) service users. The data were entered into EPI Info version 3.5.2 and analyzed usingSPSS version 16. RESULTS: Among the 422 study participants, 234 (55.5%) males, the mean (±SD) age was 37.3 (±16.4) years. The overall satisfaction level of the study participants was 39.3%. Poor cleanliness of the facility, fewer service access provision, lack of prescribed drugs within the facility and longer waiting time to get the health care service wasreported by 73.2%, 67.8%, 65.6% and 59.2% of the clients respectively. Paying service users (AOR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.22-3.39, P: 0.007), divorced clients (AOR: 4.26, 95% CI: 1.11-16.26, P: 0.034) and hospital users (AOR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.29-3.69, P: 0.004) were more dissatisfied. CONCLUSIONS: Client satisfaction was lowin the health provision in West Amhara region. Expansion of health facilities in remote areas, maintaining continuous availability of prescribed drugs, improving cleanliness of health facilities, and fast health service provision are recommended to satisfy clients in the setting.

Liver Enzymes Abnormalities among Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Experienced and HAART Naïve HIV-1 Infected Patients at Debre Tabor Hospital, North West Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.

Liver disease has emerged as the most common non-AIDS-related cause of death in HIV patients. However, there is limited data regarding this condition including our setting in Ethiopia. Hence, liver enzyme abnormalities among highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) experienced and HAART naïve patients were assessed in this study. A total of 164 HAART experienced and 164 HAART naïve patients were studied. Blood specimen was collected to determine alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), CD4 count, and viral hepatitis. The prevalence of liver enzyme abnormality was 20.1% and 22.0% among HAART experienced and HAART naïve patients, respectively. The HAART experienced patients had higher mean ALT than HAART naïve patients (P = 0.002). Viral hepatitis (AOR = 6.02; 95% CI = 1.87-19.39), opportunistic infections (AOR = 2.91; 95% CI = 1.04-8.19), current CD4 count <200 cells/mm(3) (AOR = 2.16; 95% CI = 1.06-4.39), and male sex (AOR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.001-3.33) were associated with elevated ALT and/or AST. In conclusion, liver enzyme abnormalities were high in both HAART experienced and HAART naïve HIV-1 infected patients. Hence, monitoring and management of liver enzyme abnormalities in HIV-1 infected patients are important in our setting.

Decreases in human immunodeficiency virus infection rates in Kombolcha, Ethiopia: a 10-year data review.

INTRODUCTION: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is one of the most serious public health and development challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia. A particular challenge for prevention strategies has been the emergence of hotspot areas. Therefore, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome programs should not be based on national level statistics, but need to be more focused geographically. Kombolcha is one of the high spot areas with different projects and development corridors. Hence, the aim of this study is to assess the trend of HIV infection rates among patients who visited Africa Service Committee clinic from 2005 to 2014. METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1 to January 30, 2016. All records of new patients enrolled from February 8, 2005 to December 31, 2014 were reviewed. Data on sociodemographic information, risky sexual behavior, and HIV test result were collected from each study participant using data collection format. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors of HIV infection. RESULTS: The overall HIV infection was 10.8% (2,233/20,674). The rate of infection varied from 13.3% in 2005 to 4.5% in 2014, and its trend had significantly declined from 2008 to 2014. Urban residence (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.53; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-5.25), patients who ever had intercourse with penetration (AOR: 5.62; 95% CI: 1.11-28.57), and those who had marriage experience (AOR: 11.65; 95% CI: 4.2-32.3) were more infected with HIV. CONCLUSION: The trend of HIV infection significantly reduced in the last 10 years in Kombolcha area. However, the HIV infection still remains high (4.5%) that needs intervention of those who had marriage experience, risky sexual behavior, and urban dwellers.

Helminthiasis: Hookworm Infection Remains a Public Health Problem in Dera District, South Gondar, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal parasitic infections are significant cause of morbidity and mortality in endemic countries. In Ethiopia, helminthiasis was the third leading cause of outpatient visits. Despite the health extension program was launched to address this problem, there is limited information on the burden of intestinal parasites after implementation of the program in our setting. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the intestinal helminthic infections among clients attending at Anbesame health center, South Gondar, Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted at Anbesame health center from March to June 2015. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 464 study participants selected consecutively. Stool specimen collection, processing through formol-ether concentration technique and microscopic examination for presence of parasites were carried out. Data were entered, cleaned and analyzed using SPSS Version 20. RESULTS: Among the total 464 study participants with median (±IQR) age of 25.0 (±21.75) years, 262 (56.5%) were females. Helminthic infection was found in 97 (20.9%) participants. Hookworm (68 [14.7%]) was the predominant parasite followed by S. mansoni (11 [2.4%]), E. vermicularis (9 [1.9%]) and S. stercoralis (5 [1.1%]). Patients with age group ≥15 years (AOR: 5.26; 95% CI: 2.05-13.46; P: 0.001) and walking barefoot (AOR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.08-4.48; P: 0.031) were more vulnerable from the hookworm infections. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high burden of hookworm infections in our setting. Hence, regular shoes wearing, considering all age groups in the albendazole deworming as mass treatment and environmental hygiene are important interventions to reduce the burden of such neglected tropical disease.

Distribution and Availability of Essential Tuberculosis Diagnostic Items in Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

Adequate supplies of tuberculosis laboratory reagents and consumables are necessary for tuberculosis diagnosis and monitoring of treatment response. This study assessed the distribution and stock levels of laboratory commodities used in tuberculosis control in health centers of Amhara region, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 82 health centers, among 801, providing sputum microscopy services. Stock levels were calculated, and distribution of reagents and consumables assessed. Thirty three (40.2%) health centers were under stocked for at least one of the key items for tuberculosis diagnosis at the time of visit. Fifteen (18.3%) health centers had no stocks of at least one of the key items (methylene blue (11%), carbol fuchsin (11%), acid alcohol (8.5%) and sputum cups (3.7%)). Of the 82 health centers, 77 (93.9%) did not fulfill the criteria for effective distribution of tuberculosis laboratory reagents and consumables. There were many health centers that had no or only low stocks of key tuberculosis laboratory reagents and consumables as a result of ineffective distribution system. It is necessary to strengthen supply chain management to ensure uninterrupted TB diagnostic service.