Effectiveness of an improved road safety policy in Ethiopia: an interrupted time series study.

Background: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in implementing road safety policy by different low income countries. However; the evidence is scarce on its success in the reduction of crashes, injuries and deaths. This study was conducted to assess whether road crashes, injuries and fatalities was reduced following the road safety regulation introduced as of September 2007 by Oromia Regional State Transport Bureau.

Factors associated with pre-marital sexual debut among unmarried high school female students in bahir Dar town, Ethiopia: cross- sectional study.

Background: Pre-marital sexual debut increase the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancy. It may also affect their school performance and completion rate. In spite of this fact, number of unmarried female students who started sexual debut is increasing from time to time.

The community-based Health Extension Program significantly improved contraceptive utilization in West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia.

Background: Ethiopia has implemented a nationwide primary health program at grassroots level (known as the Health Extension Program) since 2003 to increase public access to basic health services. This study was conducted to assess whether households that fully implemented the Health Extension Program have improved current contraceptive use.

Methods: A cross-sectional community-based survey was conducted to collect data from 1,320 mothers using a structured questionnaire.

Effects of excessive speeding and falling asleep while driving on crash injury severity in Ethiopia: a generalized ordered logit model analysis.

The severity of injury from vehicle crash is a result of a complex interaction of factors related to drivers' behavior, vehicle characteristics, road geometric and environmental conditions. Knowing to what extent each factor contributes to the severity of an injury is very important. The objective of the study was to assess factors that contribute to crash injury severity in Ethiopia.

Barriers to diabetes medication adherence in North West Ethiopia.

Background: Low adherence to prescribed diabetes medications is one of the major reasons to poor glycemic control in developing countries. Therefore, this study attempted to assess the magnitude of medication adherence and factors associated with it among adult persons with diabetes in northwest Ethiopia.

Method: This study utilized a cross sectional study design with internal comparison.

Daytime Sleepiness, Circadian Preference, Caffeine Consumption and Khat Use among College Students in Ethiopia.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of daytime sleepiness and circadian preferences, and to examine the extent to which caffeine consumption and Khat (a herbal stimulant) use are associated with daytime sleepiness and evening chronotype among Ethiopian college students.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,410 college students. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information about sleep, behavioral risk factors such as caffeinated beverages, tobacco, alcohol, and Khat consumption.

Seasonal and life-phase related differences in growth in Scarus ferrugineus on a southern Red Sea fringing reef.

Temporal trends in growth of the rusty parrotfish Scarus ferrugineus were studied on a southern Red Sea fringing reef that experiences seasonal changes in environmental conditions and benthic algal resources. Length increment data from tagging and recapture were compared among periods and sexes and modelled using GROTAG, a von Bertalanffy growth model. The growth pattern of S.

Characterization of a low pathogenic avian influenza H5N2 virus isolated from a turkey breeder flock in Manitoba, Canada.

In November 2010, an outbreak of avian influenza (AI) due to the H5N2 subtype virus occurred in a turkey breeder farm in northern Manitoba, Canada. The only clinical signs observed were depression, decrease in food consumption, and loss of egg production. The hemagglutinin (HA) cleavage (HA(0)) site of the isolated H5N2 virus was PQRETR/GLF, consistent with low pathogenic AI viruses.

Men traveling away from home are more likely to bring malaria into high altitude villages, northwest Ethiopia.

Background: Information about malaria risk factors at high altitudes is scanty. Understanding the risk factors that determine the risk of malaria transmission at high altitude villages is important to facilitate implementing sustainable malaria control and prevention programs.

Methods: An unmatched case control study was conducted among patients seeking treatment at health centers in high altitude areas.

Predictors of acute undernutrition among children aged 6 to 36 months in east rural Ethiopia: a community based nested case - control study.

Background: Child undernutrition is one of the major public health problems in the developing countries having a devastating effect on the lives of many children under five years of age. However, its causes are multitude and not uniformly understood enough across the various parts of the world and that a thorough understanding of these causes is required to design appropriate intervention. The objective of this study was to identify the predictors of acute child undernutrition in east rural Ethiopia.

Health extension program factors, frequency of household visits and being model households, improved utilization of basic health services in Ethiopia.

Background: Ethiopia has implemented a nationwide primary health program (the Health Extension Program) at the grassroots level since 2003. The aim of the program is to increase public access to basic health services, mainly by producing model households. These are households which attend at least 75% of the training given by health extension workers and implement at least 75% of the Health Extension Program packages.

Mortality level and predictors in a rural Ethiopian population: community based longitudinal study.

Background: Over the last fifty years the world has seen enormous decline in mortality rates. However, in low-income countries, where vital registration systems are absent, mortality statistics are not easily available. The recent economic growth of Ethiopia and the parallel large scale healthcare investments make investigating mortality figures worthwhile.

Sexual and reproductive health communication and awareness of contraceptive methods among secondary school female students, northern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Adolescent girls continue to fall victim to unintended pregnancy and its consequences, with particular problems arising in low income countries. Awareness about methods of contraception is an important step towards gaining access and using suitable contraceptive methods. However, studies assessing the relationship between sexual and reproductive health communication and awareness of contraceptive methods among secondary school female students are lacking.

A description of malaria sentinel surveillance: a case study in Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.

Background: In the context of the massive scale up of malaria interventions, there is increasing recognition that the current capacity of routine malaria surveillance conducted in most African countries through integrated health management information systems is inadequate. The timeliness of reporting to higher levels of the health system through health management information systems is often too slow for rapid action on focal infectious diseases such as malaria. The purpose of this paper is to: 1) describe the implementation of a malaria sentinel surveillance system in Ethiopia to help fill this gap; 2) describe data use for epidemic detection and response as well as programmatic decision making; and 3) discuss lessons learned in the context of creating and running this system.

Development of a duplex Fluorescent Microsphere Immunoassay (FMIA) for the detection of antibody responses to influenza A and newcastle disease viruses.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) and virulent forms of avian paramyxovirus-1 (APMV-1) cause serious illnesses in domestic poultry, both of which are reportable to the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE). The clinical presentation of avian influenza (AI) and APMV-1 infections are difficult to differentiate, emphasizing the importance of rapid and sensitive serologic assays that are able to distinguish them. Currently, a variety of serological assays are used for the serologic diagnosis of both diseases, but these assays are not used in multiplex formats.

Under five diarrhea among model household and non model households in Hawassa, South Ethiopia: a comparative cross-sectional community based survey.

Background: Ethiopia has been implementing a community-level health intervention package (referred to as "Health Extension Program") to improve the health of children in particular.However, its effect on the major childhood illnesses in Ethiopia has not been studied. This study was conducted to determine whether a fully-implemented health extension program reduces diarrhea in children under the age of five.

Diabetes mellitus in North West Ethiopia: a community based study.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is recognized as one of the emerging public health problems in developing countries. However, its magnitude has not been studied at community levels, making the provision of appropriate services difficult in such countries. Hence, this study aimed to compare the magnitude and associated risks of diabetes mellitus among urban and rural adults in northwest Ethiopia.

Assessment of cold chain status for immunization in central Ethiopia.

Background: In order to achieve immunization goals, two factors are necessary; the delivery of potent vaccines to children through properly maintained cold chain systems and achieving high vaccine coverage. Maintaining quality of vaccines has been one of the main challenges of immunization programs in Africa.

Objective: To assess the cold chain status and practices in 116 health facilities located in three CCRDA/CORE Group Ethiopia operational districts (woredas).

School-Based Intervention: Evaluating the role of Water, Latrines and Hygiene Education on Trachoma and Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Ethiopia.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the impact of a hygiene and sanitation intervention program among school-children to control active trachoma and intestinal parasitic infections.

Methods: This longitudinal epidemiologic study was conducted among 630 students in rural Ethiopia. Baseline and follow-up surveys were conducted to evaluate the impact of a three pronged intervention program i) constructing of ventilated improved pit latrines, ii) provision of clean drinking water, and iii) and hygiene education.

Utilization of Modern Contraceptives among HIV Positive Reproductive Age Women in Tigray, Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Study.

Background. HIV infected women in sub-Saharan Africa are at substantial risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. In developing countries including Ethiopia counseling and provision of modern contraceptives of choice to HIV infected women including those on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is an important strategy to prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.

Khat chewing and restrictive dietary behaviors are associated with anemia among pregnant women in high prevalence rural communities in eastern Ethiopia.

Background: Anemia affects a high proportion of pregnant women in the developing countries. Factors associated with it vary in context. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of anemia among pregnant women in the rural eastern Ethiopia.

Malaria infection has spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal heterogeneity in unstable malaria transmission areas in northwest Ethiopia.

Background: Malaria elimination requires successful nationwide control efforts. Detecting the spatiotemporal distribution and mapping high-risk areas are useful to effectively target pockets of malaria endemic regions for interventions.

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify patterns of malaria distribution by space and time in unstable malaria transmission areas in northwest Ethiopia.

Timely initiation of complementary feeding and associated factors among children aged 6 to 12 months in Northern Ethiopia: an institution-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months of life is critical for the wellbeing of the child. In the mean while, timely initiation and starting nutritionally-adequate, safe, age-appropriate complementary feeding at six months is recommended for the better health and development of infants. According to the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2011, timely initiation of complementary feeding in Ethiopia at the 6th month was only 51%.

Household water chlorination reduces incidence of diarrhea among under-five children in rural Ethiopia: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Background: Household water treatment has been advocated as a means of decreasing the burden of diarrheal diseases among young children in areas where piped and treated water is not available. However, its effect size, the target population that benefit from the intervention, and its acceptability especially in rural population is yet to be determined. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of household water chlorination in reducing incidence of diarrhea among children under-five years of age.

Lifesaving emergency obstetric services are inadequate in south-west Ethiopia: a formidable challenge to reducing maternal mortality in Ethiopia.

Background: Most maternal deaths take place during labour and within a few weeks after delivery. The availability and utilization of emergency obstetric care facilities is a key factor in reducing maternal mortality; however, there is limited evidence about how these institutions perform and how many people use emergency obstetric care facilities in rural Ethiopia. We aimed to assess the availability, quality, and utilization of emergency obstetric care services in the Gamo Gofa Zone of south-west Ethiopia.