BackgroundNeonatal mortality has persisted high in Ethiopia in spite of many efforts being applied to decrease this adverse trend. Early detection of neonatal illness is an important step towards improving newborn survival. Toward this end, there is a need for the mothers to be able to identify signs in neonates that signify severe illnesses. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge about neonatal danger signs and its associated factors among postnatal mothers attending at Woldia general hospital, Ethiopian.MethodsInstitutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted from January–May, 2017. The hospital that provides antenatal care (ANC), delivery, and postnatal services was purposively sampled. Structured interviewer managed questionnaire was administered to postnatal mothers attending Woldia general hospital. Frequencies, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were determined using the SPSS software (Version 20).ResultsDuring the study period 197 mothers attending postnatal care (PNC) service at Woldia general hospital were interviewed. Information on different neonatal danger signs was not provided to 92(46.7%) postnatal mothers during their antenatal clinic attendance by the healthcare providers. The majority of mothers, 174(88.3%) identified less than six neonatal danger signs. The hotness of the body of neonates was the commonly recognized danger sign by 106(53.8%) postnatal mothers. Of the total mothers, 67(34%), 60(30.5%), 56(28.4%), 44(22.3%) recognized unable to breastfeeding, convulsion, lethargy, difficulty in breathing as newly born danger signs, respectively. Out of 197 mothers, 32(16.2%) were giving birth at home. Mother’s age(AOR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.99–3.08), marital status(AOR = 2.50, 95% CI: 0.29–4.31), mother’s education status(AOR = 3.48, 95% CI:1.57–8.72), husband’s education(AOR = 4.92, 95% CI: 1.29–12.81), attending ANC (AOR = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.15, 4.85), mother’s residence(AOR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.47–1.65), information about neonatal danger signs(AOR = 3.48, 95% CI 1.40–9.49) had positive association with maternal level of knowledge to identify different neonatal danger signs.ConclusionMaternal knowledge level about neonatal danger signs was very low. Therefore, intervention modalities that focus on increasing level of parental education, access to ANC and PNC service are needed.

BackgroundReproductive health rights in Africa are unknown. According to international studies, reproductive health rights of young people particularly university students, are violated, and most of these violations go unreported due to a lack of information and awareness of these rights. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge and associated factors on sexual and reproductive health rights in Ethiopia.MethodsInstitution-based cross-sectional study using an interviewer-administered and structured questionnaire was conducted. The study population consisted of students of the selected department between November, 2018 and June, 2019. A simple random sampling method technique was used to select 420 students. Bi-variate and multi-variate logistic regression analysis was performed.ResultsThe knowledge level of the respondents was 16.4%. The majority of students 205 (51%) were in the age group < 20 years. Male [AOR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.09–1.95]; coming from urban areas [AOR: 2.11, 95% CI: (1.02–4.37)]; provision of sexuality education or lecture in departments [AOR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.02–1.91] and discussion about reproductive health with anyone else [AOR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.48–3.62] were significant association for the knowledge of sexual and reproductive health rights.ConclusionsRespondents' knowledge level was found to be very low. Therefore, strengthening students' lectures or education on reproductive health in the curricula of high school, encouraging discussions with parents, and anyone might improve the knowledge toward sexual and reproductive health rights.

Background. Ectopic pregnancy is a neglected and challenging gynecologic problem in developing countries including Ethiopia. Objective. The present study is aimed at assessing the prevalence of ectopic pregnancy, its management outcomes, and factors associated with management outcomes in Tigray, North Ethiopia. Methods. We employed a four-year retrospective cross-sectional study from September 2015 to August 2019. We extracted data about all pregnant mothers who were admitted and managed for EPs in Axum, Tigray. Ectopic pregnancy and its outcomes (favorable and unfavorable) were the dependent variables, and age, residence, ethnicity, religion, parity, history of abortion, history of EP, pelvic infections, history of surgical procedures, and use contraceptives were the independent variables. We employed descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses using SPSS. Ethical clearance was obtained from Axum University, Tigray, Ethiopia. Results. The overall prevalence of ectopic pregnancy was 0.52% of total deliveries, which equates to 1 : 193 deliveries. Surgery for ectopic pregnancy accounts for 7.6% of all gynecological surgeries. Most participants were in the age group 26–30 years and lived in rural areas. Among the different EP implantation sites, most cases (92.4%) occurred in the fallopian tube, followed by 5.1% in the ovary and 2.5% in abdominal EPs. Surgical management (laparotomy) was undertaken for all the 79 women diagnosed with EPs, including laparotomy (100%), salpingo-oophorectomy (17.7%), salpingectomy (73.9%), oophorectomy (3.4%), cornual resection (2.5%), and removal of concepts tissue 2.5. The record reports that intraoperative procedure was correctly managed for 47 (59.5%) women but the condition of EP procedure was ruptured for about two-thirds (63.3%) of the women. Thirty (38%) patients had developed some complications after surgery including anemia ( hemoglobin < 10.5 ) ( n = 12 ), fever ( n = 10 ), wound infection ( n = 2 ), and pneumonia ( n = 2 ). Women who were from urban ( AOR = 11.2 , 95% CI: 2.65-47.2) and who had normal hemoglobin at presentation ( AOR = 9.94 , 95% CI: 2.03-48.7) were associated with favorable maternal outcomes. Conclusions. More than one-third of women with ectopic pregnancies had an unfavorable maternal outcome, which was higher among rural residents and anemic mothers. Women living in rural areas and anemia during pregnancy should seek special attention in the management of EPs. We also recommend improving the data management of hospitals in Ethiopia.

Purpose: The present study assessed the prevalence of and factors associated with suicide attempts among adult Eritrean refugees in Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among adult refugees from February 2020 to April 2020. The exposure variables included socio-demographic, clinically related, and psychosocial characteristics, and substance use-related factors. We included 400 participants and recruited them via a systematic random sampling technique. The study participants were between 18 and 60 years old. Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. We applied bivariable and multivariable logistic regression to determine predictors for suicide attempts. Multicollinearity was checked to test correlations among predictor variables, and the Hosmer and Lemeshow test (p>0.2) was conducted to check the fitness of the model. Odds ratios and p-values were determined to check the associations between variables, and a p-value <0.05 was considered as a cut-off for statistical significance. Results: The prevalence of suicide attempts was 7.3% (95% CI: 4.8%, 9.8%). Having current symptoms of trauma (AOR=5.6, 95% CI: 2.1, 14.9), a family history of mental disorder (AOR=3.02, 95% CI: 1.01, 9.07), a history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (AOR=2.7, 95% CI: 1.01, 7.4), and severe hopelessness (AOR=3.9, 95% CI: 1.3, 12.7) were significantly associated with suicide attempts. Conclusion:This study showed that during the stay in the refugee camp, there was a high prevalence of suicide attempts compared to the prevalence of suicide attempts among the general populations of Ethiopia, Europe, and China, and the lifetime pooled prevalence across 17 countries. Current symptoms of trauma, PTSD, a family history of mental illness, and hopelessness were the factors statistically associated with the suicide attempt. Early screening, detection, and management of suicidal behavior, as well as appropriate mental healthcare, are warranted in refugee camps to reduce the number of suicide attempts.

BackgroundEven though the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine and the increasing vaccination rates are promising, there are reports of refusal to get vaccinated in a different segment of the population, including health care workers.ObjectiveThis study determines the acceptance/refusal of the COVID-19 vaccination and its predictors among health care workers in Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among a group of health care workers at different health facilities in Ethiopia. Data were collected from 1 to 30 July 2020. Data were collected from 403 participants through an online Google submission form. Data were entered into Epi-info 7 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis.ResultsApproximately 38.5% of the health care workers in the study had refused COVID-19 vaccination. Younger age groups vs. 40 and above years (age 20–24 year [AOR: 0.03, 95% CI (0.00, 0.48)], age 25–29 year [AOR: 0.02, 95% CI (0.00, 0.49)], and age 30–34 year [AOR: 0.04 (0.00, 0.49)] and medical doctors vs. Nurses [AOR: 0.06, 95% CI, (0.01, 0.42)] were reported as risk factors; also, academic working staff vs. hospital staff [AOR: 4.42, 95% CI (1.85, 10.54)] was reported as a protective factor toward refusal of COVID-19 vaccination.ConclusionTwo-fifths of health care workers in Ethiopia were indicated to refuse COVID-19 vaccination, implying a significant barrier to achieving WHO's a target of 70% double vaccination rate by mid-2022.