SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Clinical Characteristics, and Related Risk Factors: The First 8 Months Surveillance Study Conducted in Southwest Ethiopia.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and became pandemic after emerging in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infections in districts of southwest Ethiopia. A study was conducted on COVID-19 surveillance data in the diagnostic center of the southwest district of Ethiopia from July 1, 2020, to February 30, 2021. A total of 10 618 nasopharyngeal specimens were tested for SARS-COV-2 using the detection of unique sequences of virus RNA by reverse transcriptase PCR. Data were entered into Epidata version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between COVID-19 and risk factors, with a significance level of P = 0.05. A total of 10 618 individuals were tested for SARS-CoV-2. Of these, 419 (3.9%) patients tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Among a total of 419 patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, 80.2% were asymptomatic, 264 (63.0%) were males, and 233 (55.6%) were aged 19 to 35 years. Comorbidity was present in 37 (8.8%). The risk of getting SARS-CoV-2 infections was increased with male sex (AOR = 1.248; 95% CI: 1.007, 1.547), health workers (AOR = 3.187; 95% CI: 1.960, 5.182), prisoners (AOR = 2.118; 95% CI: 1.104, 4.062), and comorbid conditions (AOR = 2.972; 95% CI: 1.649, 5.358), such as diabetes (AOR = 4.765; 95% CI: 1.977-11.485) and other respiratory problems (AOR = 3.267; 95% CI: 1.146-9.317). Despite the fact that overall laboratories confirmed prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the study area was low and dynamic, it was spread to all zones of the study area. This highlights the importance of implementing the most effective public health strategies to prevent the further spread and reduce the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Prevalence of Malaria and Associated Risk Factors among the Community of Mizan-Aman Town and Its Catchment Area in Southwest Ethiopia.

Background: Ethiopia is a Sub-Saharan African country with a high annual malaria case count, owing to the majority of the country's geography favoring vector rearing. As part of the country's prevention-based health policy, substantial efforts have been made to control and prevent malaria transmission. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria and the associated factors in the community of Mizan-Aman and its catchment. Materials and Methods: From September to October 2021, a community-based cross-sectional survey was undertaken among the communities of Mizan-Aman town and its catchment area in Southwest Ethiopia. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data, as well as a capillary blood sample from each study participant. Epi-data manager (v4.0.2.101) was used to enter the data and analyzed by SPSS version 25.0. A statistical significance was set at a P value of <0.05. Result: The study comprised a total of 412 people, of which 87 (21.1%) tested positive for malaria parasites, with a greater prevalence reported among those aged 25 to 34 years (5.8%). Individuals who lived near stagnant water were more likely to become infected with the malaria parasite (AOR = 8.996, 95% CI: 5.087-15.908) compared to those who lived further away, in warm climates, and those who did not use insecticide-treated bed nets were more susceptible to malaria parasite infection (AOR = 4.647, 95% CI: 1.257-17.184) compared to those who did use ITN and With (AOR = 0.466, 95% CI: 0.218-0.996 and AOR = 0.352, 95% CI: 0.206-0.604); participants with a history of antimalarial medication appear to have a protective function against malaria infection, respectively. Conclusion: The overall malaria prevalence in this study was 87 (21.1%), demonstrating that malaria remains a significant concern to the populations in the study area, with Plasmodium falciparum accounting for the vast majority of cases.