Blinded rechecking of sputum smear microscopy performance in public health facilities in Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia: Retrospective cross sectional study.

Introduction: Tuberculosis disease is the leading cause of death worldwide along with HIV/AIDS. Sputum smear microscopy plays an essential role for initial TB diagnosis and treatment follow up. But, misdiagnosis of sputum smear microscopy revealed a high economical crisis and missing of active TB cases.

Incidence and factors associated with treatment failure among HIV infected adolescent and adult patients on second-line antiretroviral therapy in public hospitals of Northern Ethiopia: Multicenter retrospective study.

Background: This study aimed to determine the incidence and factors associated with treatment failure among HIV infected adolescent and adult patients on second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in public hospitals of Northern Ethiopia.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from September 1, 2007 to July 30, 2017 on 227 patients. The data were extracted using a retrieval checklist from the patient's charts.

Level of Adherence and Associated Factors Among HIV-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Northern Ethiopia: Retrospective Analysis.

Background: Poor adherence to ART increases viremia, which leads to disease progression and transmission of drug-resistant HIV strains. This study aimed to assess the level of ART adherence and associated factors among adolescents and adult patients enrolled in ART care in Northern Ethiopia.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted among 19,525 patients from April 2015 to March 2019.

Dietary Diversity and Associated Factors among Children Aged 6-59 Months in Ethiopia: Analysis of Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2016 (EDHS 2016).

Background: Dietary diversity is one of the key elements of diet quality. Even though different measures were taken to increase dietary diversity feeding practice in Ethiopia, the problem still remains high. Therefore, this study was done to identify determinants of inadequate minimum dietary practice among children aged 6-59 months in Ethiopia.

Latrine Ownership and Its Determinants in Rural Villages of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Open defecation was largely a rural phenomenon most widely attributed to poor latrine ownership at community level. We aimed at examining latrine ownership and its determinants in rural villages of the Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia.

Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2018.

Determinants of immunological recovery following HAART among severely immunosuppressed patients at enrolment to care in Northern Ethiopia: a retrospective study.

Objective: This study aimed to identify determinants of immunological recovery following highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) among severely immunosuppressed patients at enrolment to care in Northern Ethiopia.

Methods: A retrospective study.

Setting: The study was done in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia.

Mass Psychogenic Illness in Haraza Elementary School, Erop District, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: Investigation to the Nature of an Episode.

Background: Mass psychogenic illness has been documented for more than 600 years in a variety of cultural, ethnic, and religious settings. We aimed to assess the nature and characteristics of mass psychogenic illness and to evaluate community awareness and perception about the treatment they practiced in Haraza Elementary School, Erop district, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.

Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Haraza Elementary School from January to February, 2020.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices about Trachoma in Rural Communities of Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia: Implications for Prevention and Control.

Background: Trachoma is a neglected tropical disease which is the leading infectious cause of blindness in the world. Trachoma is one of the major health problems in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia. However, knowledge, attitudes, and practices about trachoma are not yet studied in depth.

Neonatal septicemia at intensive care unit, Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Tigray, North Ethiopia: Bacteriological profile, drug susceptibility pattern, and associated factors.

Background: Neonatal septicemia is a life threatening medical emergency that requires timely detection of pathogens with urgent rational antibiotics therapy.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2017 to September 2018 among 317 septicemia suspected neonates at neonatal intensive care unit, Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Mekelle, Tigray, North Ethiopia. A 3 mL of blood was collected from each participant.

Determinants of Anemia in Pregnancy: Findings from the Ethiopian Health and Demographic Survey.

In Ethiopia, anemia during pregnancy is a major public health problem and affects both the mother's and their child's health. There is a scarcity of community-based evidence on determinants of anemia among pregnant women in the country. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the determinants of anemia among pregnant women in Ethiopia.

Level of quality of option BPMTCT service provision in public health facilities in Mekelle zone, northern Ethiopia: cross-sectional study.

Background: Substantial improvements have been observed in coverage and access to maternal health services in Ethiopia. However, the quality of care has been lagging behind. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of quality of Option B PMTCT in Northern Ethiopia.

Exploring Factors Influencing Practice of Neonatal Resuscitation with Bag and Mask in Ethiopia: Analysis from 2016 National Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care Survey.

Background: Globally, more than 7 million children die under the age of five and the highest proportion of death is during the first 28 days of life. For babies who do not breathe at birth, neonatal resuscitation is critical in reducing intra-partum related neonatal deaths by 30%. Yet, there is a dearth of studies on the provision of neonatal resuscitation in Ethiopia.

Reducing Undernutrition through Counseling on Diversified Food Intake among Adult People Living with HIV on HAART, Northern Ethiopia.

Background: HIV/AIDS and malnutrition are interrelated and exacerbate one another in a vicious cycle. As HIV infection progresses it causes catabolic state and increases susceptibility to other infections, leading to progressive aggravation of undernutrition. However, data are lacking in Ethiopia on determinants of undernutrition among people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy.

Prediction of CD4 T-Lymphocyte Count Using WHO Clinical Staging among ART-Naïve HIV-Infected Adolescents and Adults in Northern Ethiopia: A Retrospective Study.

Background: WHO clinical staging has long been used to assess the immunological status of HIV-infected patients at initiation of antiretroviral therapy and during treatment follow-up. In setups where CD4 count determination is not readily available, WHO clinical staging is a viable option. However, correlation between CD4 count and WHO clinical staging is not known in an Ethiopian setting, and hence, the main aim of this study was to assess predictability of CD4 T-lymphocyte count using WHO clinical staging among ART-naïve HIV-infected adolescents and adults in northern Ethiopia.

Effectiveness of Anthropometric Measurements for Identifying Diabetes and Prediabetes among Civil Servants in a Regional City of Northern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Methods: The study involved a cross-sectional survey carried out from October 2015 to February 2016 among 1504 subjects aged from 18 to 75 years of age. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was used to select the most effective anthropometric cut-off point among waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, and BMI for identifying prediabetic and diabetes. Statistical significance was declared at value of ≤0.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene among Rural Residents in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia.

Background: Poor hygienic practices, inadequate water supply, and poor sanitary conditions play a major role in the spread of infectious diseases. Lack of knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) on WASH is one of the most imperative causes for transmission of infectious diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of rural residents on water, sanitation, and hygiene in Tigray, Ethiopia.

Quality of neonatal resuscitation in Ethiopia: implications for the survival of neonates.

Background: Birth asphyxia accounts for one-quarter newborn deaths. Providing quality care service of neonatal resuscitation reduces neonatal mortality. However, challenges to providing quality neonatal resuscitation are not well investigated in Ethiopia.

Iodine level concentration, coverage of adequately iodized salt consumption and factors affecting proper iodized salt utilization among households in North Ethiopia: a community based cross sectional study.

Introduction: Adequate iodine fortified salt is the most common and effective method of preventing iodine deficiency. Studies showed households using iodized salt (15 Parts Per Million (PPM) to 80 PPM) of iodine at household level were low in Tigray region and other regions of Ethiopia. Limited studies have conducted on utilization of iodized salt at the household level and none of them did not addressed on factors affecting to proper iodized salt utilization.

Magnitude and determinants of road traffic accidents in Northern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the magnitude and determinants of road traffic accidents (RTAs) in Mekelle city, Northern Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was done using a simple random sampling technique.

Setting: The study was done in Mekelle city from February to June 2015.

Implementation status of household contact tuberculosis screening by health extension workers: assessment findings from programme implementation in Tigray region, northern Ethiopia.

Background: In the Tigray region of Ethiopia, Health Extension Workers (HEWs) conduct Tuberculosis (TB) screening for all household (HH) contacts. However, there is limited evidence on implementation status of HH contact TB screening by HEWs. The aim of this program assessment was to describe the implementation status and associated factors of HH contact TB screening by HEWs.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice towards rabies and associated factors among household heads in Mekelle city, Ethiopia.

Background: Rabies has a worldwide distribution in continental regions of Africa, Asia and the Latin America. Globally, the case fatality rate is 100% once a clinical sign is developed. Poor public awareness towards rabies is one of the major obstacles in any prevention and control scheme of the diseases.

HIV virological non-suppression and factors associated with non-suppression among adolescents and adults on antiretroviral therapy in northern Ethiopia: a retrospective study.

Background: Despite the benefits of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), there is a growing concern of treatment failure. This study aimed to assess viral non suppression rate and factors associated with HIV viral non suppression among adolescents and adults on ART in Northern Ethiopia.

Methods: A retrospective cross sectional study was done on 19,525 study subjects.

Immunological recovery, failure and factors associated with CD-4 T-cells progression over time, among adolescents and adults living with HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy in Northern Ethiopia: A retrospective cross sectional study.

Background: This study was aimed to assess immunological recovery, failure, and factors associated with CD-4 T-cells progression over time, among adolescents and adults living with HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy in Northern Ethiopia.

Methods: A retrospective cross sectional study was done on 19,525 HIV patients on ART. Data were collected using a data retrieval checklist from a database.

Characterization of ancestry informative markers in the Tigray population of Ethiopia: A contribution to the identification process of dead migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.

Determination of bio-geographical ancestry by means of DNA ancestry informative markers (AIMs) can contribute to the identification of human remains in missing person cases and mass disasters. While the presence of Eastern Africans among the migrant victims of trafficking accidents in the Mediterranean Sea is often suspected, few studies have addressed the ability of autosomal AIM panels in current use in forensic laboratories to provide differentiation of populations within the African continent. In this study, two assays consisting of 46 AIM-Indels and 31 AIM-SNPs were typed in a Tigray population sample from Northern Ethiopia.

Quality of Kangaroo Mother Care services in Ethiopia: Implications for policy and practice.

Background: Providing high-quality kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a strategy proven to improve outcomes in premature babies. However, whether KMC is consistently and appropriately provided in Ethiopia is unclear. This study assesses the quality of KMC services in Ethiopia and the factors associated with its appropriate initiation among low birth weight neonates.