Prevalence of intestinal parasites and associated risk factors among inmates of Mekelle prison, Tigrai Region, Northern Ethiopia, 2017.

BACKGROUND: In Ethiopia, like other developing countries, intestinal parasitic infections are the major public health problems affecting millions annually. Overcrowding and poor living conditions are the major risk factors. Prison inmates are among the most vulnerable groups to intestinal parasitic infections. However, there is scarcity of epidemiological data regarding intestinal parasites among prison inmates in Ethiopia, notably in Tigrai. Thus, we aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites and identify the associated factors among inmates of Mekelle prison, Tigrai, Northern Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross sectional study involving 291 inmates was conducted from February to June 2017 among inmates of Mekelle prison. After systematically selecting subjects, stool specimens were examined using direct wet mount and formol-ether concentration techniques. We used SPSS version 21 for data analysis. We considered p-value less than 0.05 significant at 95% confidence level. RESULTS: Of the 291 inmates enrolled in the study, 124 (42.6%) harbored one or more intestinal parasites. The protozoan Entamoeba histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii was the predominant parasite accounted for 68 (23.3%) of the infections followed by Giardia lamblia (10.3%) and Entamoeba coli (8.2%). Fourteen (4.8%) participants were co-infected with different parasite species. The co-infections of Entamoeba histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii and Giardia lamblia were detected among 3.1% of the participants. In bivariate analysis, hand fingernail status (COR 1.86, 95% CI, 1.08-3.20) and duration of stay in prison (COR 2.23, 95% CI 1.31-3.79) were statistically associated with intestinal parasite infections. In multivariable regression, inmates who stayed in the prison for one year or less were more likely to harbor intestinal parasitic infections (p = 0.013) than those who stayed longer. No other single predictor variable was found to be significantly associated with intestinal parasitic infections. CONCLUSIONS: The result of this study showed that intestinal parasites are significant health problems among inmates of Mekelle prison.

Prevalence of intestinal helminths and associated factors among school children of Medebay Zana wereda; North Western Tigray, Ethiopia 2017.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of intestinal helminth infections and associated factors among primary school children of Medebay Zana wereda, a northwestern zone of Tigray, northern Ethiopia from March to April 2017. RESULT: The prevalence of intestinal helminths was 12.7%. The highest prevalence of intestinal helminth infections was observed in the age group of 11-14 years old and the most prevalent helminths species were Schistosoma mansoni. Mothers' level of education [AOR = 0.27 [0.13-0.58]], place of defecation [AOR = 2.63, 95% CI 1.14-6.02]], hand wash before meals [AOR = 9.0, 95% CI 3.72-21.74]], hand wash after defecation [AOR = 5.77 [1.78-18.63]] and eating unwashed vegetables [AOR = 5.67 [2.19-14.73]] were associated with higher risk of having intestinal helminths detected in stool. In the study area the risk of detecting intestinal helminths in their stool were more associated the improper personal hygiene of the children.

The Prevalence of Malaria in Tselemti Wereda, North Ethiopia: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: A significant segment of the world's population is at risk of contracting malaria infection at any one time. In Ethiopia, sustained control efforts have been made in the past decade to fight malaria. Yet, it remains as the major cause of morbidity, mortality and socioeconomic problems in the country. The intensified control of malaria can further be augmented by analyzing health facility based malaria data. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the magnitude of malaria infection in Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective record review was conducted in Northwest Ethiopia from February-April 2016. All blood film results reported between January 2013 and December 2015 in the seven health centers were extracted and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 41,773 patients with chief malaria complaint were screened for malaria in the three years period. The overall prevalence of microscopically confirmed malaria was 28.1%. Males (29.5%) were more affected by malaria than females (26.5%). Malaria was also higher in the age group >15 years (32.6%) followed by 5-15 years (29.3%) and under-five children (20.5%). Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax and mixed infections accounted for 58.2%, 35.5% and 6.3%, respectively. The highest prevalence of confirmed malaria cases was observed during spring (35.6%) and summer (25.1%). Higher prevalence of slide positive malaria was recorded in Dima (46.1%), Cherecher (45.3%) and Fyel wuha (35.3%) health centers. CONCLUSION: Malaria specific outpatient cases were high in the study area. Both plasmodia species were of public health significance in the area with predominance of Plasmodium falciparum.

Intestinal parasitosis and anaemia among patients in a Health Center, North Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the magnitude of intestinal parasitosis and anaemia in a Health Center, North Ethiopia. RESULTS: A total of 427 outpatients were enrolled and the median age of the participants was 22 years. The prevalence of intestinal parasitosis was 143 (33.5%). Age, place of residence and occupation were significantly associated with intestinal parasitosis. When we see parasite specific factors, significant associations were observed for source of drinking water (P = 0.02), age (P < 0.001) and family size (P = 0.003), respectively with Entameba histolytica, Hookworm and Giardia lamblia infections. The overall prevalence of anaemia was 35 (8.2%). The mean haemoglobin concentration among the study participants was 12.8 mg/dl. The highest prevalence of anemia was recorded for the age group of 15-19 years (29.6%). The proportion of anemia among intestinal parasite -infected and non-infected participants was 10.7 and 7.0%, respectively. Study participants infected with S. stercoralis and hookworm were more likely to develop anaemia than the non- infected ones; AOR (adjusted odds ratio) = 5.3, 95% CI (1.01-27.4); P = 0.028 and AOR = 11.1, 95% CI (3.36-36.9); P = 0.000, respectively.

Performance of Laboratory Professionals Working on Malaria Microscopy in Tigray, North Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Microscopic analysis of stained blood smear is the most suitable method of malaria diagnosis. However, gaps were observed among clinical laboratory professionals in microscopic diagnosis of malaria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in December 2015 among 46 laboratory professionals. Data was collected via on-site assessment and panel testing. The slide panel testing was composed of positive and negative slides. The kappa score was used to estimate the agreement between participants and reference reader. RESULTS: The overall agreement between the study participants and the reference reader in malaria detection was 79% (kappa = 0.62). Participating in refresher training on malaria microscopy (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR = 7, CI = 1.5-36.3)) and malaria epidemic investigation (AOR = 4.1 CI = 1.1-14.5) had statistical significant association with detection rate of malaria parasites. CONCLUSION: Laboratory professionals showed low performance in malaria microscopy. Most of the study participants were graded "in-training" in laboratory diagnosis of malaria.