A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of major transfusion-transmissible infections among blood donors at Felege Hiwot referral hospital, northwest Ethiopia. The overall seroprevalence of major bloodborne pathogens among blood donors was 43.2%, of which HBsAg, anti-HCV IgG, HIV seropositivity and syphilis accounted for 25%, 13.3%, 11.7% and 1.2% respectively. Crude seroprevalence of major blood born pathogens was significantly higher in commercial blood donors (56.6%) compared to voluntary (17.6%) and replacement blood donors (53.6%) (p=0.0001). IntroductionAlthough blood transfusion is one of the known therapeutic interventions that cut across a number of clinical disciplines, the practice is not without risks. In Africa, about 10-15 % of HIV transmission had been related to blood transfusions (1) .The highest risk groups are children suffering from malaria and anaemia; women with pregnancy-related haemorrhage and victims of major trauma.

Background Ethiopia has a high acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) prevalence, and to our knowledge, there are no data on the status of secondary prevention in children with RHD. This study describes the status of secondary RHD prevention. Methods A multicenter, prospective study was performed on children aged 5–17 years with RHD in Ethiopia. Good adherence was defined as at least 80% completion of benzathine penicillin (BPG) or oral Amoxicillin within the previous year. The primary outcome measure was adherence to prophylaxis, expressed as a proportion. Socio-demographics, severity of RHD, and ARF recurrence were evaluated. Results A total of 337 children with a mean age of 12.9 ± 2.6 years were included. The majority (73%) had severe aortic/mitral disease. Participants were on BPG (80%) or Amoxicillin (20%) prophylaxis. Female sex (P = 0.04) use of BPG (0.03) and shorter mean duration of prophylaxis in months (48.5 ± 31.5 vs. 60.7 ± 33, respectively, P < 0.008) predicted good adherence. Running out of medications (35%), interrupted follow-up (27%), and the COVID-19 pandemic (26%) were the most common reasons for missing prophylaxis. Recurrence of ARF was higher in participants on Amoxicillin compared with BPG (40% vs. 16%, P < 0.001) and in those with poor adherence compared with good adherence (36.8% vs. 17.9%, respectively, P = 0.005). Type and duration of prophylaxis (OR 0.5, CI = 0.24, 0.9, P = 0.02; OR = 1.1, CI = 1.1, 1.2, P = 0.04, respectively), and sex (OR = 1.9, CI = 1.1, 3.4, P = 0.03) were independent predictors of poor adherence. Conclusion Poor adherence is prevalent in Ethiopian children living with RHD. Amoxicillin is a suboptimal option for prophylaxis as its use is associated with lower adherence and a higher rate of ARF recurrence.

Introduction Worldwide, congenital heart disease is the principal heart disease in children and constitutes one of the major causes of infant mortality, particularly in developing countries. Infants and children with congenital heart disease exhibit a range of delays in weight gain and growth. In some instances, the delay can be relatively mild, whereas in other cases, cause the failure to thrive. Objectives To determine the nutritional status and associated factors of pediatric patients with congenital heart disease. Material and method A cross sectional analytical study conducted over a period of 6 months (Feb to Jul 2020). A total of 228 subjects with congenital heart disease who visited the cardiac center during the study period where included until the calculated sample size attained. Data is collected from patient’s card and their care giver. Data was then analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for windows version 25.0. Odds Ratio with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used to determine the effect of the independent variables on the outcome variable and P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 228 children ranging from 3month to 17yrs of age with mean age of 4.7 years (SD = 3.8 years) were included in the study. Most of the subjects had acyanotic heart disease accounting for 87.7%. The overall prevalence of wasting, underweight and stunting were 41.3%, 49.1% and 43% respectively. Children with congenital heart disease and having pulmonary hypertension, were found more likely to develop wasting compared to those without pulmonary hypertension with an odds of 1.9 (95% CI: 1.0–3.4) and also have greater chance of stunting with an odds of 1.9 (95% CI: 1.0–3.4). Children 5 to 10 years of age were 2.3 times more likely to be underweight. Conclusion Malnutrition is a major problem in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease. Pulmonary hypertension and older age are associated with increased risk of undernutrition.

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