Maternal and Child Health Services Utilization During COVID-19 in Eastern Ethiopia.

This study aimed to describe the impact of COVID-19 on maternal and child health service utilization in the Eastern part of Ethiopia. Comparative analysis was used to examine 2 years of maternal and child health service utilization. Data were extracted from client registers.

Aetiology, clinical profile, management and outcome of acute pancreatitis at public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a prospective observational study.

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a rare gastrointestinal pathology that has recently become increasingly common owing to lifestyle changes. Its clinical presentation ranges from mild discomfort to organ failure and death. Previous studies in Ethiopia reported that AP is rare.

A rare case of cecal foreign body leading to cecal perforation in 12-year-old child: a clinical case report and review of literature.

Introduction And Importance: Cecal foreign bodies are uncommon causes of acute abdomen, and their presentation can often mimic acute appendicitis (AA), making it challenging to diagnose. The authors present the case of a 12-year-old male from Ethiopia who initially presented with symptoms suggestive of AA. However, during surgery, the authors found a multiple magnetic fields result in perforation.

Availability of Maternal, Newborn care and Child Health Services at Primary Health Care Unit during COVID-19 Outbreak in Ethiopia.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is putting a pressure on global health systems. The disruption of essential health services (EHS) has an impact on the health of mothers, neonate and children in developing countries. Therefore, the main aim of this study was assessing the availability of Maternal, Newborn care and Child health (MNCHS) services at primary health care unit during COVID-19 outbreak.

COVID-19 Infection Prevention Preparedness, Practices and Case Management in the Primary Health Care Units in Ethiopia.

Background: COVID-19 as pandemic declared by WHO on March 11, 2020 and first case detected in Ethiopia on March 13/2020. The COVID-19 caused a global crisis, including millions of lives lost, public health systems in shock and economic and social disruption. Strategies depend on how an existing health system is organized.

Assessment of Availability of Tracer Drugs and Basic Diagnostics at Public Primary Health Care Facilities in Ethiopia During COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The emergence of COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the supply chain and stock of medicines and drugs across the globe. Tracer drugs are essential medicines that address the population's priority health problems. Thus, this study aimed to assess availability of tracer drugs and basic diagnostics at public primary health care facilities in Ethiopia.

Essential Health Services Delivery Status During COVID-19 Pandemic in Ethiopia: A National Mixed-Methods Survey of Primary Healthcare Units.

Background: Essential health services are a package of services critical to improve health outcomes. COVID-19 pandemic disrupts essential health services. However, the level of essential health service disruption due to COVID-19 in Ethiopia is not clear.

Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases Diagnosis and Treatment Service Availability at Primary Health Care Units During COVID-19 Outbreak in Ethiopia.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) pose a substantial global health challenge, resulting in an annual death toll of over 15 million individuals aged 30 to 69. Ethiopia, categorized as COVID-19 vulnerable, grapples with NCD treatment challenges. This study aims to assess disease service availability at primary health units in Ethiopia during the pandemic.

Barriers to Family Planning Service Utilization in Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study.

Background: The unmet need for family planning (FP) is a major impediment to achieving the sustainable development goal The COVID-19 pandemic and other contextual, individual, and hospital-related problems are major barriers that reduce FP service uptake. However, most of the studies are quantitative and give due focus to individual and community-level barriers. Therefore, this study tends to explore barriers to the utilization of FP in Ethiopia including health care and contextual barriers.

Barriers Towards Obstetric Care Service Utilization in Ethiopia: An Explorative Qualitative Study.

Background: Obstetric care has been at the center of both global and national agendas. More than 50% of pregnant mothers are still preferring to give birth at home with some even after having full antenatal care. However, a few literatures looked at contributing factors for this problem but they are not conclusive and do not consider different sociocultural context of Ethiopia and different health service related barriers.

Patterns of childhood tuberculosis diagnosis in Ethiopia: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: Children share 12% of the global 10 million people infected with tuberculosis (TB) each year. Closing case detection gap in children remains difficult, with 56% of all children and 65% under-five with TB missed each year. We aimed to assess the patterns of childhood TB diagnosis and underlying determinants in Ethiopia when different TB diagnostic platforms are applied.

Wastewater Treatment Using Wood Ash and Cement as Chemical Coagulant.

Water is essential for daily activities and maintaining human well-being. However, in many less-developed countries, including Ethiopia, the lack of a well-developed wastewater treatment system leads to contaminated surface water. This poses significant risks to human health.

Chest X-ray predicts cases of pulmonary tuberculosis among women of reproductive age with acute respiratory symptoms: A multi-center cross-sectional study.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) prevalence is increasing among women of reproductive age (WRA) in sub-Saharan Africa, yet undiagnosed and untreated cases remain rather high with serious health and socio-economic consequences. We aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of TB in WRA seeking health care for acute respiratory symptoms.

Methods: We consecutively enrolled outpatient WRA with acute respiratory symptoms seeking care at four healthcare facilities in Ethiopia between July 2019 and December 2020.

Implementation of evidence-based multiple focus integrated intensified TB screening to end TB (EXIT-TB) package in East Africa: a qualitative study.

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. We qualitatively evaluated the implementation of an Evidence-Based Multiple Focus Integrated Intensified TB Screening package (EXIT-TB) in the East African region, aimed at increasing TB case detection and number of patients receiving care.

Objective: We present the accounts of participants from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia regarding the implementation of EXIT-TB, and suggestions for scaling up.

Trachoma Prevention Practice and Associated Factors in Rural Lemo District, Southern Ethiopia, 2021.

Background: Trachoma is a leading cause of preventable blindness. It is more prevalent in areas where there is poor personal and environmental sanitation. Implementing a SAFE strategy will reduce the incidence of trachoma.

Association of Glaucoma with Poor Quality of Sleep in an Ethiopian Glaucoma Population - A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Glaucoma is a group of ocular disorders characterized by progressive optic nerve damage resulting in irreversible visual field defects. Poor quality of sleep in glaucoma patients could be explained by the reduction of the light input to the circadian system as a result of damage to photosensitive retinal ganglion cells in the retina. Information is limited on the association of poor quality of sleep with glaucoma in general and the Ethiopian glaucoma population in particular.

Assessment of selected heavy metals in honey samples using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS), Ethiopia.

Honey is a natural, sugary and sticky liquid that is produced from the nectars of flowers by the bees. This study aimed to analyze the concentration of some selected heavy Metals in honey samples. 1 g of honey sample was digested by a hot plate using 9ml of HNO and 3ml of HO.

Tuberculosis Prevalence and Predictors Among Health Care-Seeking People Screened for Cough of Any Duration in Ethiopia: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. This high burden is mainly attributed to low case detection and delayed diagnosis. We aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of TB among health care-seeking people screened for cough of any duration in Ethiopia.

Validity of InterVA model versus physician review of verbal autopsy for tracking tuberculosis-related mortality in Ethiopia.

Background: In most African countries where a legitimate vital registration system is lacking, physicians often review verbal autopsy (VA) data to determine the cause of death, while there are concerns about the routine practicality, accuracy, and reliability of this procedure. In Ethiopia where the burden of tuberculosis (TB) remains unacceptably high, reliable VA data are needed to guide intervention strategies. This study aimed to validate the InterVA model against the physician VA in tracking TB-related mortality in Ethiopia.

Community Engagement in the Fight Against COVID-19: Knowledge, Attitude, and Prevention Practices Among Dire Dawa Residents, Eastern Ethiopia.

There is a global concern that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cannot be addressed without the integration and active engagement of communities. We aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of the residents in Eastern Ethiopia toward COVID-19. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on May 1-30, 2020 among the residents of Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia.

Impact of early chest radiography on delay in pulmonary tuberculosis case notification in Ethiopia.

Background: One-third of tuberculosis (TB) cases are missed each year and delays in the diagnosis of TB are hampering the whole cascade of care. Early chest X-ray (CXR) in patients with cough irrespective of duration may reduce TB diagnostic and treatment delays and increase the number of TB patients put into TB care. We aimed to evaluate the impact of CXR on delay in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among people with cough of any duration.

Who to Involve and Where to Start Integrating Tuberculosis Screening into Routine Healthcare Services: Positive Cough of Any Duration as the First Step for Screening Tuberculosis in Ethiopia.

Background: Recent country surveys have shown an unacceptably high prevalence of confirmed tuberculosis (TB) even among those with a low duration of cough, and more than 50% of those with bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) do not report symptoms that correspond to presumptive TB. Furthermore, there has been an increase in the incidence of smear-negative PTB patients who can serve as a source of infection. We investigated whether screening people who sought healthcare for cough of any duration can increase TB case detection in Ethiopia, and compiled the lessons learned and recommendations.

Stereoacuity Among Patients with Refractive Error at University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the level of stereopsis, proportion of poor stereopsis, and factors influencing stereopsis in adults with refractive error.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted on 153 adults with refractive error at Gondar University Hospital Tertiary Eye Care Center from April 08 to June 07, 2019. Structured questionnaires and ophthalmic instruments (Retinoscope, Worth Four Dot test and TNO Stereo plates) were used to collect the data.

Use of Eye Care Service and Associated Factors Among Adult Diabetic Patients Attending at Diabetic Clinics in Two Referral Hospitals, Northeast Ethiopia.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of use of eye care service and associated factors among adult diabetic patients attending diabetic clinics in two referral hospitals, Northeast Ethiopia, 2020.

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample size of 546 at Dessie and Debre-Birhan Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals from July 06 to August 14/2020. Systematic random sampling with a sampling fraction of 2 was employed to select study participants at outpatient departments in diabetic clinics.

Protection of the Eye from Ultraviolet Radiation Damage Among Adults in Addis Zemen Town, Northwest Ethiopia.

Background: Ultraviolet radiation is electromagnetic radiation or light having a wavelength of less than 400 nm but greater than 100 nm. Ultraviolet radiation, majorly from sunlight, can potentially damage any organ that is exposed to any part of its spectrum. Aside from the skin, the organ most susceptible to sunlight-induced damage is the eye.