Background COVID-19 has a devastating effect on social, economic, and political crises that will leave deep pockmarks on victims of the virus. Having poor knowledge and attitude of the disease among health care providers could bring in impeded effect in the supportive treatment and, it increases the spread of the pandemic. Objective The study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19, and associated factors among health care providers in Northwest Ethiopia in 2020. Methods Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from the mid of March to the end of April 2020 among 408 participants who were selected by a simple random sampling technique. Pretested and structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were entered using EPI-info v. 7, and were exported to SPSS version 20 for further analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with Knowledge and Attitude towards COVID-19. Variables having p-value < 0.05 were taken as variables which were significantly associated with the dependent variable. Result A total of 408(97.1%) participants have participated in the study. Most of the participants (67.3%) were males. One-third (35.5%) of the participants were nurses. About 62% of the health care providers were Bachelor degree holders. The prevalence of Knowledge and

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a respiratory and systemic disorder caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or novel Coronavirus (nCoV). To date, there is no proven curative treatment for this virus; as a result, prevention remains to be the best strategy to combat coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has been proposed to play a role in coronavirus infection (COVID-19). However, there is no conclusive evidence on its impact on COVID-19 infection. Therefore, the present review aimed to summarize the available evidence regarding the association between Vitamin D levels and the risk of COVID-19 infection.Methods: A systematic literature search of databases (PUBMED/MEDLINE, Cochrane/Wiley library, Scopus, and SciELO) were conducted from May 15, 2020, to December 20, 2020. Studies that assessed the effect of vitamin D level on COVID-19/SARS-2 infection were considered for the review. The qualities of the included studies were evaluated using the JBI tools. Meta-analysis with a random-effects model was conducted and odds ratio with their 95%CI were reported. This systematic review and meta-analysis are reported according to the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guideline.Results: The electronic and supplementary searches for this review yielded 318 records from which, only 14 of them met the inclusion criteria. The qualitative synthesis indicated that vitamin D deficient individuals were at higher risk of COVID-19 infection as compared to vitamin D sufficient patients. The pooled analysis showed that individuals with Vitamin-D deficiency were 80% more likely to acquire COVID-19 infection as compared to those who have sufficient Vitamin D levels (OR = 1.80; 95%CI: 1.72, 1.88). Begg's test also revealed that there was no significant publication bias between the studies (P = 0.764). The subgroup analysis revealed that the risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection was relatively higher in the case-control study design (OR = 1.81).Conclusions: In conclusion, low serum 25 (OH) Vitamin-D level was significantly associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 infection. The limited currently available data suggest that sufficient Vitamin D level in serum is associated with a significantly decreased risk of COVID-19 infection.

Background. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak affects the global social, economic, and political context and becomes a significant threat to healthcare providers who are among the exposed groups to acquire and transmit the disease while caring and treating patients. It is crucial to comply with prevention recommendations so as to stay safe and protected. Therefore, this study aimed to assess COVID-19 preventive practice and associated factors among healthcare workers in Northwest Ethiopia. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 630 healthcare workers in Northwest Ethiopia from March to April 2020. A multistage sampling technique was used to select study participants. A pretested and structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were entered using Epi Info 7 and analyzed using STATA 16 statistical software. Both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify associated factors. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval was used to determine independent predictors of COVID-19 preventive practice. In multivariable analysis, a variable with a P value of less than 0.05 was considered as statically significant. Result. Among 630 healthcare workers participated in the study, the overall good preventive practice towards COVID-19 was found to be 38.73% (95% CI: 34.8, 42.5). Being a male healthcare provider (AOR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.10), having work experience of 6–10 years (AOR = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.23, 4.00), and having poor attitude towards COVID-19 (AOR = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.22) were found to be significantly associated with poor COVID-19 preventive practice among healthcare workers. Conclusion. Overall compliance towards COVID-19 preventive practice among healthcare workers was found to be low. Multiple education and training platforms with focus on COVID-19 preventive measures and adequate personal protective equipment and supplies should be provided for healthcare providers.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice of health workers about multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) prevention and control.Study design and settingsA cross-sectional study was conducted at Gondar University Referral Hospital and Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital.ParticipantsRandomly selected health workers (ie, medical doctor, nurse, health officer, pharmacy, medical laboratory and midwifery) were the study participants.Outcome measuresThe main outcomes were knowledge and self-reported practice of health workers about MDR-TB.ResultsA total of 377 health workers (with a response rate of 93.7%) participated in the study. The majority of respondents were nurses (52.5%, n=198) and medical doctors (15.6%, n=59). The mean knowledge score was seven out of 10; 149 (39.5%) of respondents scored seven or more which was considered as good knowledge. MDR-TB knowledge of health workers was significantly associated with having a postgraduate degree (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=5.78; 95% CI 2.33 to 14.33), taking infection prevention training (AOR=1.79; 95% CI 1.00, to 3.17) and having a history of tuberculosis (TB) (AOR=1.85; 95% CI 1.12, to 3.03). The mean self-reported practice score was four out of seven; one-fifth (19.6%) of respondents scored four or more which was considered as good practice. Self-reported practice of health workers was significantly associated with working at internal medicine (AOR=4.64; 95% CI 1.99, to 10.81) and paediatrics (AOR=3.85; 95% CI 1.11, to 13.34) wards, being in the age groups of 26–30 years (AOR=2.70; 95% CI 1.27, to 5.76), and 30 years and above (AOR=4.42; 95% CI 1.77, to 11.00).ConclusionsThis study found low knowledge and self-reported practice score among health workers. MDR-TB knowledge of health workers was significantly associated with educational status, infection prevention training and previous history of TB. This finding highlights the potential of providing MDR-TB training for health workers to increase their knowledge about MDR-TB.

BackgroundChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health problem associated with progressive decline in kidney function and adverse cardiovascular outcome. Anemia of CKD has substantial adverse outcomes in CKD patients. There is paucity of published data on prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among CKD patients in Northwest Ethiopia.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among CKD patients at the University of Gondar hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1, to September 30, 2018. Consecutive sampling was used to recruit 251 study subjects. Patients were interviewed to obtain demographic data, and the patients’ medical records were reviewed to obtain information on relevant medical history and laboratory parameters. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify independently associated factors of anemia among CKD patients. P-value <0.05 was used to declare association.ResultsThe overall prevalence of anemia in CKD patients was high (64.5%), and the magnitude worsened as kidney function declined. Hypertension (45%), chronic glomerulonephritis (24%) and diabetes (20%) were common causes of CKD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed rural residence (AOR= 2.75, 95%CI: 1.34–5.65, P=0.006), BMI <18.5 kg/m2 (AOR=6.78, 95%CI: 1.32–34.73, P=0.022) and BMI of 18.5–24.9 kg/m2 (AOR=5.04, 95%CI: 1.26–20.10, P=0.022), and having hemodialysis history (AOR=3.59, 95%CI: 1.24–10.38, P=0.018) were independently associated with anemia among CKD patients.ConclusionPeriodic screening and intervention programs for anemia of CKD should be practiced to change the existing situation in the setting.

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Abstractobjective To investigate the current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies used in the care of patients with suspected bacterial meningitis at teaching hospitals in Ethiopia.methods This was a hospital-based retrospective study conducted at four teaching hospitals in different regions of Ethiopia. Participants were patients aged 14 years and older treated for suspected bacterial meningitis. Presenting complaints, diagnostic strategies used and treatments given were obtained from clinical records.result A total of 425 patients were included in the study; 52.7% were men and 83.8% were younger than 50 years. Fever, headache, neck stiffness and impaired consciousness were the most common clinical presentations; 55.5% underwent lumbar puncture. Overall, only 96 (22.6%) patients had cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities compatible with bacterial meningitis. A causative bacterium was identified in only 14 cases. Ceftriaxone was used as the empiric treatment of choice, either alone or in combination with other antibiotics; 17.6% of patients were also given vancomycin. Adjunctive dexamethasone was given to 50.4%.conclusion Most patients treated as bacterial meningitis did not receive a proper diagnostic workup. The choice of antibiotic was not tailored to the specific clinical condition of the patient. Such an approach may result in poor treatment outcomes and lead to antibiotic resistance. Management of patients with suspected bacterial meningitis should be supported by analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, and treatment should be tailored to local evidence and current evidence-based recommendations.

Few studies have been conducted on multimorbidity (two or more chronic diseases) and rational geriatric prescribing in Africa. This study examined the prevalence and determinants of multimorbidity, polypharmacy (five or more long-term medications), and potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use according to the 2019 Beers criteria among the older adults attending chronic care clinics from a single institution in Ethiopia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 randomly selected older adults from 12 March 2020 to 30 August 2020. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the predictor variables. The prevalence of multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and PIM exposure was 59.1%, 24.1%, and 47.2%, respectively. Diuretics (10%), insulin sliding scale (8.8%), amitriptyline (7.8%), and aspirin (6.9%) were among the most frequently prescribed PIMs. Older patients experiencing pain flare-ups were more likely to have multimorbidity (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.64, 95% confidence intervals: 1.13–2.39). Persistent anger (AOR: 3.33; 1.71–6.47) and use of mobility aids (AOR: 2.41, 1.35–4.28) were associated with polypharmacy. Moreover, cognitive impairment (AOR: 1.65, 1.15–2.34) and health deterioration (AOR: 1.61, 1.11–2.32) increased the likelihood of PIM exposure. High prevalence of multimorbidity and PIM use was observed in Ethiopia. Several important determinants that can be modified by applying PIM criteria in routine practice were also identified.