Introduction: Tuberculosis/human immunodeficiency virus (TB/HIV) co-infection has a mutual and synergistic effect which mostly affects interventions that have been taken on the area. TB/HIV co-infected patients have a worse treatment outcome as compared to HIV-negative patients. There are limited data regarding the impact of HIV on the TB treatment success rate. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of HIV on TB treatment under the implementation of the directly observed treatment strategy. Material and methods: Five-year retrospective data (from August 2012 to July 2016) of tuberculosis patients (n = 544) registered at the directly observed therapy short-course (DOTS) clinic of Arba Minch General Hospital were reviewed. The association of TB treatment outcome with HIV seropositivity was assessed according to the national tuberculosis control program guideline. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were used to evaluate the presence and strength of association between TB treatment outcome and HIV status. Results: Out of the 544 TB patients, 29.2% (159) were HIV co-infected. Overall, the treatment success rate of TB patients with or without HIV was 74.6%. Using cure/completion as a reference, patients with HIV seropositivity had significantly higher odds of default (COR = 1.37; 95% CI: 0.669-2.825), failure (COR = 20.79; 95% CI: 1.065-406.019), death (COR = 6.95; 95% CI: 1.765-27.394) and transfer-out (COR = 2.59; 95% CI: 1.557-4.334). Conclusions: The rate of treatment success in this study is still lower than the recommended 85% target set by the WHO and Ministry of Health of Ethiopia (97%). In order to further improve the treatment success rate, continuous follow-up with frequent support of patients during the treatment course and strengthening the recording system are strongly recommended.

Background. About 75% of the land and 60% of the population is exposed to malaria in Ethiopia. Malaria persists as a major health problem in the Misrak Badawwacho districts of the Hadiya Zone. In children under five years of age, malaria admissions and deaths fell by 81% and 73% respectively between 2001 and 2011. Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and trend in malaria parasite infection among pediatric patients treated in the Konga health Center, Hadiya Zone, Misrak Badawwacho District, southern Ethiopia. Material and methods. A retrospective analysis of pediatric patients' records was conducted between September 2011 and June 2015. The data was analyzed to determine malaria morbidity and trend in malaria prevalence among children under five years of age. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 20. Results. A total of 5,210 medical records were retrieved and reviewed; the analysis showed that 2,459 patients (47.2%) were positive for malaria infection, of which 57% were due to Plasmodium falciparum and 43% due to P. vivax. The analysis demonstrated that the cumulative prevalence of malaria has been decreasing, with the exception of 2012, when it was found to increase rapidly. Conclusions. The prevalence of malaria in southern Ethiopia was found to be high and firmly associated with the closeness of potential mosquito breeding sites. The high incidence of the disease in this age group shows that malaria is endemic in the area. Both governmental and non-governmental organizations engaged in malaria campaigns should cooperate to raise awareness in the community and scale up the delivery of resources used for malaria control.