A quick survey study was conducted with the objectives of assessing farmers trait preference and productive performance of Sasso provided by Ethio-chicken private poultry farms under village production system in three agro ecologies of SNNPR, Ethiopia. Totally, 135 randomly selected respondents (45 from each agro ecologies) were included in the study. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and one way ANOVA. According to the respondents most of the farmers were currently rearing more Sasso breeds in all agro ecologies (40.4, 72.7 and 47.7 in highland, midland and lowland respectively) than Bovans brown (17, 6.8 and 20.5% in highland, midland and lowland respectively). Current study exposed that 94.4% of respondents on average in all agro ecologies select Bovans brown for egg production while Sasso breed was selected by respondents (97.7%) for having large body size and producing high amount of meat. The information collected on age at first laying disclosed that the mean ages at first laying were 5.9±1.5, 5.7±1, and 7.1± 1.6 months for Sasso, Bovans brown and local breeds respectively. The result in the current study revealed that the average egg production per month of Bovans brown (22.2) is higher than that of Sasso (16.2) and local chickens (12.6). Most respondents repeatedly mentioned feed shortage as the first ranked chicken production constraint in all districts (25.4%) whereas predators (20.1%) were the second and disease was the third problem in overall agro ecologies though there were significant (p<0.05) differences among agro ecologies. To have a clear understanding of the performance of Sasso breeds of ethio-chicken private farms, on-farm and on-station controlled experiment on management practices and feeding strategy is important.

Background Through universal “test and treat approach” (UTT) it is believed that HIV new infection and AIDS related death will be reduced at community level and through time HIV can be eliminated. With this assumption the UTT program was implemented since 2016. However, the effect of this program in terms of individual patient survival and treatment outcome was not assessed in relation to the pre-existing defer treatment approach. Objective To assess the effects of UTT program on HIV treatment outcomes and patient survival among a cohort of adult HIV infected patients taking antiretroviral treatment in Gurage zone health facilities. Methods Institution based retrospective cohort study was conducted in facilities providing HIV care and treatment. Eight years (2012–2019) HIV/AIDS treatment records were included in the study. Five hundred HIV/AIDS treatment records were randomly selected and reviewed. Data were abstracted using standardized checklist by trained health professionals; then it was cleaned, edited and entered by Epi info version 7 and analyzed by STATA. Cox model was built to estimate survival differences across different study variables. Results A total of 500 patients were followed for 1632.6 person-year (PY) of observation. The overall incidence density rate (IDR) of death in the cohort was 3 per-100-PY. It was significantly higher for differed treatment program, which is 3.8 per-100-PY compared to 2.4 per-100-PY in UTT program with a p value of 0.001. The relative risk of death among differed cases was 1.58 times higher than the UTT cases. The cumulative probability of survival at the end of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years was 98%, 90.2%, 89.2% and 88% respectively with difference between groups. The log rank test and Kaplan–Meier survival curve indicated patients enrolled in the UTT program survived longer than patients enrolled in the differed treatment program (log rank X2 test = 4.1, p value = 0.04). Age, residence, base line CD4 count, program of enrolment, development of new OIS and treatment failure were predicted mortality from HIV infection. Conclusion Mortality was significantly reduced after UTT. Therefore, intervention to further reduce deaths has to focus on early initiation of treatment and strengthening UTT programs.

Between May 2006 and January 2007, blood samples and ticks were randomly collected from 220 nomadic animals from Filtu and Dollo Odo districts, Libaan zone, in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Overall, 81.5% cattle, 98.2% camels, 53.4% goats and 61.1% sheep were infested by ixodid ticks. Collected ticks (n = 1,036) were identified as Rhipicephalus pulchellus (40.1%), R. pravus (25.8%), Amblyomma gemma (9.4%), Hyalomma rufipes (13.3%), H. truncatum (2.8%), H. impeltatum (1.2%) and H. dromedarii (0.5%); immature stages (6.1%) belonged to the genera Rhipicephalus and Amblyomma. Tick infestation burden was evaluated by the Tick Abundance Score method on 57 animals from Dollo Odo in August 2006, and it was significantly higher in cattle and camels than in small ruminants (p < 0.001). Reverse Line Blot Hybridisation was applied to detect Theileria, Babesia, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma spp. Five out of 50 blood samples from Filtu, four from cattle and, surprisingly, one from a camel, were positive for Theileria mutans and two from cattle for T. velifera. Adult ticks (n = 104) from both districts were tested and A. gemma from cattle were positive to T. velifera (1) and Ehrlichia ruminantium (5 samples). Positive E. ruminantium samples were also tested by PCR targeting pCS20 and 16S rRNA genes and submitted to DNA sequencing. The phylogenetic reconstruction of pCS20 fragment showed the presence of the Somali region sequences in the East-South African group. Our results are the first available on ticks and selected tick-borne diseases from the Somali region of Ethiopia and could be used as preliminary information for planning sustainable control strategies for tick and tick-borne pathogens in the study area and in neighbouring areas with similar socio-ecological features.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in peoples living with HIV and at least 25% of deaths are attributed to TB. Many countries implement the Universal Test and Treat (UTT) program for HIV, which is believed to reduce the incidence of TB. However, there are limited studies that evaluate the impact of UTT on TB incidence. Therefore, by recruiting a cohort of ART users in the "UTT" and "differed treatment" programs, we aim to measure the effect of the UTT program on TB incidence. Objective: To measure the effect of "UTT" program on TB incidence among a cohort of adults taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Gurage Zone, South Ethiopia. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted through record review over 5 years (2014-2019) in public health facilities in Gurage Zone. Three hundred eighty-four records were randomly selected and reviewed using a standardized structured checklist. Data was entered using Epi Info™ Version 7 and analyzed by STATA. A generalized linear model with binomial link function was fitted to measure the adjusted incidence density/incidence rate ratio and to identify predictors of incidence difference between the two programs. Results: During the follow up period, 39 incident TB cases were identified with an overall incidence rate of 4.79/ 100 person-year (PY). TB incidence was significantly lower in the UTT cohort (IR = 2.10/100 PY) in comparison to the differed program cohort (IR = 6.23/100 PY). The adjusted incidence rate ratio (AIRR) of TB among patients enrolled in the UTT program was; 0.25 (95% CI = 0.08-0.70). Thus, there was a reduction of TB incidence by 75% in the UTT program compared to differed program. In addition, IPT (isoniazid preventive therapy) use (AIRR = 0.35 (95% CI = 0.22-0.48)), WHO Stage I and II (AIRR = 0.70 (95% CI = 0.61-0.94)) and higher base line CD4 count (AIRR = 0.96 (95% CI = .94-0.99)) significantly reduced the incidence of TB. However, treatment failure increase the incidence (AIRR = 5.8 (95% CI = 1.93-8.46)). Conclusion: TB incidence was significantly reduced by 75% after UTT. Therefore, intervention to further reduce the incidence has to focus on strengthening UTT program and IPT.

Background: Vancomycin use is considered inappropriate in most hospitals. A particular concern is the recent emergence vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) which is related to the potential for nosocomial transmission, the lack of antibiotics to treat infections caused by this organism, and the possibility that the vancomycin-resistant genes present in VRE can be transferred to other gram-positive microorganisms such as S. aureus. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utilization of vancomycin among hospitalized patients in internal medicine wards of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH). Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional chart review was carried out to evaluate the utilization of vancomycin among hospitalized patients with vancomycin therapy between April 2012 to 2013. Results: One hundred twenty five patients were enrolled in the study, consisting of 60 males and 65 females. The age range was 13 to 80 years. Of all courses, 88.8% were considered to be initially appropriate, but this decreased to 6.4% after vancomycin initiation. Continued empiric use of vancomycin without further evidence of gram-positive infections accounted for the majority of inappropriate use. The major dosing regimen employed was 1g every 12 h in 99 (79.2%) of treatments. Vancomycin dose was not adjusted or adjusted inadequately for 62 (96.5%) of the patients with increased serum creatinine. Furosemide was the most frequently identified potentially interactive drug. Conclusion: Although the initial indication for vancomycin use was generally appropriate, failure to continue this antibiotic as per HICPAC criteria and inappropriate dosing adjustment based on MDRD CrCl level were common challenges identified.

Background: Misinterpretation of malaria microscopy results can lead to inappropriate case management of malaria. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of malaria microscopy among health facilities in Hawassa city. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the quality of malaria microscopy diagnosis in Hawassa city health facility laboratories from November 2012 to January 2013 in Sothern Ethiopia. Validated panel malaria slides were distributed to health facilities accompanied with a questionnaire that assessed factors related to malaria microscopy improvement. Operational definitions for correct result and major and minor errors were outlined. A total of 51 laboratory professionals in 10 health facilities were surveyed with a response rate of 85%. Results were collected and data was analyzed by SPSS, and Win Pepi software. Result: Of 306 malaria slides examined in Sample 1-Sample 6 [S1-S6] only 54% of the examinations reported correctly. Considering major errors in [S1-S4], the most common errors were reporting negative for positive slide 39/83(47%), species identification error 29/83(35%) and density 15/83 (18%). In mixed Plasmodium falciparum/Plasmodium vivax (Pf/Pv) sample, only 18% of participants made correct diagnosis in identifying both Pf/Pv species. In Plasmodium negative sample 45(88.2%) of participants scored (no parasites observed) correctly. Considering S1-S4, 29 of the 165 densities reported were different from the reference density established for each slide. 53% of participants had never participated in a formal training on malaria microscopy, and among those who did, more than half were trained earlier than 2008. All of the participants reported to use tap water in preparation of working Giemsa solution. Conclusion: The present assessment revealed a poor quality of malaria microscopy in Hawassa city administration health facilities. Therefore, responsible bodies are required to improve quality of malaria microscopy, and also provide regular refreshment training for laboratory professionals in malaria microscopy. Further similar study should be conducted in large scale.

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Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in peoples living with HIV. At least twenty five percent of deaths are attributed to TB. It is believed that, Universal test and treat (UTT) program for HIV reduces incidence of TB and most countries implement the program. However, there is no study conducted to evaluate the impact of UTT on TB incidence. Therefore, by recruiting a cohort of ART users in the “UTT” and “differed treatment/CD4 based” programs we aimed to measure the effect of the UTT program on incidence of TB. Objective: To measure the effect of “UTT” program on TB incidence among a cohort of adults taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Gurage zone, South Ethiopia. Methods: Health facility based retrospective cohort study through record review of 5 year (2014-2019) cohort was conducted in public facilities of Gurage Zone. Randomly selected 384 records were reviewed by using standardized structured checklist by trained professionals. Data was entered by Epi info version 7 and analyzed by STATA. Generalized Linear Model with binomial link function was fitted to measure adjusted incidence density/Incidence rate ratio and identify predictors of incidence difference between the two programs. Results: During the follow up period, 39 incident TB cases were occurred, and making the overall incidence rate of 4.79/100 person-year. It is significantly lower in the UTT (IR=2.10/100 person-year) than the differed program (IR=6.23/100 person-year). The adjusted Incidence Rate Ratio (AIRR) of TB among patients enrolled in the UTT program was; 0.25 (95% CI=0.08-0.70) compared to patients enrolled in the differed program. Thus, UTT program reduce TB incidence by 75%. In addition to the program, IPT use (AIRR= 0.35 (95% CI=0.22-0.48)), WHO Stage I and II (AIRR=0.70 (95% CI=0.61-0.94)) and higher Base line CD4 count (AIRR=0.96 (95% CI=.94-0.99)) significantly reduce incidence of TB. Whereas, treatment failure increase the incidence (AIRR=5.8 (95% CI=1.93-8.46)). Conclusion: TB incidence was significantly reduced by 75% after UTT. Therefore, intervention to further reduce the incidence has to focus on strengthening UTT program and IPT.