Background The geographical distribution of intestinal parasites with conditions of poverty in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa coincides with that of HIV/AIDS. However, there is paucity of studies investigating the relationship between intestinal parasitic infections with CD4 counts and anemia in HIV/AIDS patients starting Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in this region particularly and in Ethiopia in general. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in relation to CD4 count and anemia among ART-initiated patients in St. Mary Aksum General Hospital, Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 242 ART-initiated participants during February to April 2017 in St. Mary Aksum General hospital. Data was collected using structured questionnaire and laboratory examination. Logistic regression was applied to assess any association between explanatory factors and outcome variables ( P values < 0.05). Result The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 26.4% and among the six types of parasitic genera identified Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (18.6%) and Giardia lamblia (2.1 % ) were the leading. According to the multivariate analysis, lack of hand washing before meal, eating uncooked vegetables, history of taking anti-parasite medication, stool consistency, and anemia were strongly associated with intestinal parasitosis. Conclusion There was a high prevalence of intestinal parasites among HIV positive individuals. Intervention measures such as deworming, improving hygiene and sanitation practices should be strengthened to reduce the burden of intestinal parasites among people living with HIV. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12879-019-3989-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective Premarital sexual practice during adolescence time may lead to different sexual and reproductive health problems including HIV/AIDS. This study was aimed to assess the prevalence of premarital sexual practice and associated factors among adolescents living in the refugee camps in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. Result The prevalence of premarital sexual practice was 47.6% [95% CI (43.3%, 51.9%)]. The age (mean ± SD) of the study participants was 17.4 ± 2.71 (15–24 years) and 68.8% of them were males. Being in the age group 14–19 years [AOR = 4.50, 95% CI (2.29–8.84)] or 20–24 years [AOR = 9.76, CI (4.58–20.82)], living with friends [AOR = 5.24, 95% CI (2.28–12.05)] or alone [AOR = 5.72, 95% CI (2.69–12.19)], being in primary school [AOR = 6.93, 95% CI (3.08–15.57)] or college [AOR = 4.33, CI (1.44–13.02)], getting pocket money [AOR = 4.14, 95% CI (2.31–7.41)], parents being either divorced [AOR = 5.11, 95% CI (2.42–10.80)] or widowed [AOR = 3.52, 95% CI (1.69–7.33)], alcohol consumption [AOR = 1.99, 95% CI (1.20–3.38)] were independent predictors of premarital sexual practice among the adolescents. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-019-4459-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction Intestinal parasites are amongst the major public health challenges facing Sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites and its associated factors among food handlers in Medebay Zana District, Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 401 food handler individuals selected by systematic random sampling. Binary and multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the possible association between the independent variable and outcome variables. Statistical significance was declared at p-value < 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval. Result The prevalence of intestinal parasites was 33.2% within this sample. The dominant parasite was Entamoeba coli 50(37.4%), followed by Entamoeba histolytica/dispar 24(18%), Entamoeba hartmanni 18(13.5), Giardia lamblia 17(12.8%), Schistosoma mansoni 8(6%), Hymenolepis nana 7(5.3%), Entervious vermicularies 6(4.5%) and Taenia species 3(2.5%). Conclusion This study revealed a high prevalence of intestinal parasites among food handlers for a range of intestinal parasites. The significant predictors were the source of water, washing hands before food preparation, washing hands with soap and water after visiting the toilet, shower installation at the workplace, washing the body regularly and eating raw vegetables and raw meat. Hence, local health planners should implement appropriate interventional measures for the novel risk factors to mitigate the problem.

Introduction: Several epidemiological studies suggest that the prevalence of intestinal parasites is high, especially in developing countries, and are amongst the major public health challenges facing Sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites and its associated factors among food handlers in Medebay Zana District, Tigray, Ethiopia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 401 food handler individuals selected by systematic random sampling. Binary and multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the possible association between the independent variable and outcome variables. Statistical significance was declared at p-value <0.05 with a 95% confidence interval. Result: The prevalence of intestinal parasites was 33.2% within this sample. The dominant parasite was Entamoeba coli 50(37.4%), followed by Entamoeba histolytica/dispar 24(18%), Entamoeba hartmanni 18(13.5), Giardia lamblia 17(12.8%), Schistosoma mansoni 8(6%), Hymenolepis nana 7(5.3%), Enterviousvermicularies 6(4.5%) and Taenia species 3(2.5%).Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of intestinal parasites among food handlers for a range of intestinal parasites. The significant predictors were the source of water, washing hands before food preparation, washing hands with soap and water after visiting the toilet, shower installation at workplace, washing the body regularly, and eating raw vegetables and raw meat. Hence, local health planners should implement appropriate interventional measures for the novel risk factors to mitigate the problem.

Introduction Several epidemiological studies suggest that the prevalence of intestinal parasites is high, especially in developing countries, and are amongst the major public healthchallenges facing Sub-Saharan Africa.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites and its associated factors among food handlers in Woreda Medebay Zana, Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 401 food handler individuals selected by systematic random sampling.Binary and multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the possible association between the independent variable and outcome variables. Statistical significance was declared at p- value <0.05 with 95% confidence interval. Result The prevalence of intestinal parasites was 33.2% within this sample.The dominant parasite were Entamoeba coli 50(37.4%), followed by Entamoeba histolytica/dispar 24(18%), Entamoeba hartmanni 18(13.5), Giardia lamblia 17(12.8%), Schistosoma mansoni 8(6%), Hymenolepis nana 7(5.3%), Enterviousvermicularies 6(4.5%) and Taenia species 3(2.5%). Conclusion This study revealed a high prevalence of intestinal parasites among food handlers for a range of intestinal parasites. The significant predictors weresource of water, washing hands before food preparation, washing hands with soap and water after visiting toilet, shower installation, washing body regularly, and eating raw vegetables.