BackgroundAccurate early diagnosis and prompt treatment is one of the key strategies to control and prevent malaria in Ethiopia where both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are sympatric and require different treatment regimens. Microscopy is the standard for malaria diagnosis at the health centres and hospitals whereas rapid diagnostic tests are used at community-level health posts. The current study was designed to assess malaria microscopy capacity of health facilities in Oromia Regional State and Dire Dawa Administrative City, Ethiopia.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from February to April 2011 in 122 health facilities, where health professionals were interviewed using a pre-tested, standardized assessment tool and facilities’ laboratory practices were assessed by direct observation.ResultsOf the 122 assessed facilities, 104 (85%) were health centres and 18 (15%) were hospitals. Out of 94 health facilities reportedly performing blood films, only 34 (36%) used both thin and thick smears for malaria diagnosis. The quality of stained slides was graded in 66 health facilities as excellent, good and poor quality in 11(17%), 31 (47%) and 24 (36%) respectively. Quality assurance guidelines and malaria microscopy standard operating procedures were found in only 13 (11%) facilities and 12 (10%) had involved in external quality assessment activities, and 32 (26%) had supportive supervision within six months of the survey. Only seven (6%) facilities reported at least one staff’s participation in malaria microscopy refresher training during the previous 12 months. Although most facilities, 96 (79%), had binocular microscopes, only eight (7%) had the necessary reagents and supplies to perform malaria microscopy. Treatment guidelines for malaria were available in only 38 (31%) of the surveyed facilities. Febrile patients with negative malaria laboratory test results were managed with artemether-lumefantrine or chloroquine in 51% (53/104) of assessed health facilities.ConclusionsThe current study indicated that most of the health facilities had basic infrastructure and equipment to perform malaria laboratory diagnosis but with significant gaps in continuous laboratory supplies and reagents, and lack of training and supportive supervision. Overcoming these gaps will be critical to ensure that malaria laboratory diagnosis is of high-quality for better patient management.
Introduction: Alcohol drinking and risky sexual practices have become serious public health problems among teenagers and young adults globally, including many developing countries. The available reports are sparse, especially there is a lack of recent and representative data for high school students in developing countries including Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence, identify determinants, and examine the association of alcohol drinking with sexual practices among high school students in Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia. Methods: School-based cross sectional study was conducted from November to December 2010. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between students' background characteristics and alcohol use, and alcohol use and sexual practices. Results: Among 2551 students surveyed, lifetime and current (past month) alcohol drinking were reported by 1166 (45.7%) and 676 (26.5%) students, respectively. Having sexual intercourse at least once in their lifetime was reported by 412 (16.2%) with 151 (5.9%) of them being sexually active during a month prior to the survey. Having multiple sexual partners (52.5%), drinking alcohol before sexual intercourse (26.4%), and having sexual intercourse without the use of condom (47.3%) were also common among sexually active students. In adjusted logistic regression model, age (18 and 19 and older), living with 2 parents, getting pocket money, having alcohol drinking friends and attending general secondary school (grade 9-10) were positive predictors of current alcohol drinking. Negative predictors of current alcohol drinking were being Protestant Christian and living with relatives or siblings. Conclusion: Alcohol drinking before sexual intercourse was a major problem among high school students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Male gender, older age and higher school grade, friends influence, religious affiliation, living with parents and getting pocket money were significant predictors of current alcohol drinking. Educating about substance use and risky sexual behaviors, engaging students in extracurricular activities and restricting access to alcohol to high school students may help in solution of these problems on a local scale.
In spite of an increase in the health service coverage of the country, studies reported that significant proportion of the Ethiopian population still relies on traditional medicine, particularly on the herbal aspect, for their healthcare. The aim of the present study was to determine the extent of the concomitant use of herbal medicines with modern antiretroviral medicines and identify the commonly used herbs among patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June, 2017 among HIV/AIDS patients in five hospitals selected from four regions and one city Administration (Addis Ababa). A total of 768 HIV/AIDS patients were successfully interviewed and included in the analysis. Most 480 (62.5%) of them were on tenofovir-disoproxil fumarate (TDF) plus lamivudine (3TC)and efavirenz (EFV) regimen. Two hundred nineteen (28.5%) patients reported that they had used herbal medicines to treat their illness; of these 145 (66.2%) used herbal products along with modern medicine. Of those who reported to have used herbal medicine with modern medicine, 53 (40.8%) claimed that they took the herbal medicines for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, while 51(39.2%) used for treating co-morbid diseases. Only 33 (15.0%) of those who used herbal medicines along with modern drugs discussed the issue either with their physicians or pharmacists. A total of 31 plant species were reported to be used for the treatment as well as alleviation of symptoms associated with the disease. The most commonly cited herbal medicines that have been used by HIV/AIDS patients to treat their comorbid diseases were Moringa stenopetala (Baker f.) Cufod. (Moringaceae) (35.6%) followed by Ocimum lamiifolium Hochst. (Lamiaceae) (18.0%), Zheneria scabra Sond. (Cucurbitaceae) (7.2%), Allium sativum L. (Alliaceae) (5.7%), and Ruta chalapensis L. (Rutaceae) (5.7%). The study revealed that close to one-third of HIV/AIDS patients interviewed reported use of herbal medicine and almost two-thirds of them did so concomitantly with modern medicine. Only small percentage of the patients who used herbal medicines along with modern drugs disclose the use either to their treating physicians or to counselling pharmacists. Practitioners involved in antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics, therefore, need to inquire information related to the use of herbal medicines and accordingly advise the patients. Keywords: HIV/AIDS, medicinal plant, cross-sectional study, concomitant use, Ethiopia
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