BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem that accounts for almost half a million human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) associated deaths. Provision of isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) is one of the public health interventions for the prevention of TB in HIV infected individuals. However, in Ethiopia, the coverage and implementation of IPT is limited. The objective of this study is to compare the incidence rate of TB, TB-free survival time and identify factors associated with development TB among HIV-infected individuals on pre-ART follow up.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted from January, 2008 to February 31, 2012 in Jimma hospital. Kaplan-Meier survival plots were used to calculate the crude effect in both groups on TB-free survival probabilities and compared using the log rank test. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify predictors of TB.ResultA total of 588 patients on pre-ART care (294 IPT and 294 non-IPT group) were followed retrospectively for a median duration of 24.1 months. The median CD4+ cell count was 422 cells/μl (IQR 344 – 589). During the follow up period, 49 individuals were diagnosed with tuberculosis, giving an overall incidence of 3.78 cases per 100 person year (PY). The incidence rate of TB was 5.06 per 100 PY in non-IPT group and 2.22 per 100 PY in IPT user group. Predictors of higher TB risk were: being on clinical WHO stage III/IV (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR = 3.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.61, 5.81); non-IPT user (AHR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.04, 3.92); having CD4+ cell count less than 350 cells/μl (AHR = 3.16, 95% CI: 1.04, 3.92) and between 350–499 cells/μl, (AHR = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.37 - 6.03) and having episode of opportunistic infection (OI) in the past (AHR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.33-4.34).ConclusionIPT use was associated with fifty percent reduction in new cases of tuberculosis and probability of developing TB was higher in non-IPT group. Implementing the widespread use of IPT has the potential to reduce TB rates substantially among HIV-infected individuals in addition to other tuberculosis prevention and control effort in resource limited settings.

BackgroundAdolescent girls continue to fall victim to unintended pregnancy and its consequences, with particular problems arising in low income countries. Awareness about methods of contraception is an important step towards gaining access and using suitable contraceptive methods. However, studies assessing the relationship between sexual and reproductive health communication and awareness of contraceptive methods among secondary school female students are lacking.MethodsA cross sectional study was conducted among 807 female students in six secondary schools in Mekelle town, Ethiopia. Study participants were selected with a stratified cluster sampling technique. Data collection was carried out using a structured, self-administered questionnaire, and data entry was done using EPI Info Version 3.3.2 software. The data were then cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine factors associated with awareness of female students on methods of contraception.ResultOf all the students, 127(15.8%) reported ever having had sex, of whom 109(85.8%) had ever used contraceptives. Twenty (16%) of the sexually active students reported having been pregnant, of whom 18(90%) terminated their pregnancies with induced abortion. Discussion on sexual and reproductive health matters with their parent/s and peer/s in the six months prior to the study was reported by 351(43.5%) and 493(61.1%) of the students respectively. 716(88%) students were aware of different methods of contraception. Discussing sexual and reproductive health issues with parents (AOR =2.56(95% CI: 1.45, 4.50)) and peers (AOR = 2.46(95% CI: 1.50, 4.03)) were found to be independent predictors for contraceptive awareness among students.ConclusionsDiscussion on sexual and reproductive health issues with family and peers has a positive effect on contraceptive awareness of students. Therefore, strategies to improve open parent–child communication, and appropriate peer-to-peer communication in schools on sexual and reproductive health should be established and strengthened.

Background Encouraged by the previous success in malaria control and prevention strategies, the Ethiopian ministry of health launched malaria elimination with a stepwise approach by primarily targeting the low-transmission Districts and their adjacent areas/zones in order to shrink the country’s malaria map progressively. Hence, this community survey was conducted to establish baseline malaria information at the preliminary phase of elimination at targeted settings. Methods A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted at 20 malaria-elimination targeted Districts selected from five Regional states and one city administration in Ethiopia. The GPS-enabled smartphones programmed with Open Data Kit were used to enumerate 9326 study households and collect data from 29,993 residents. CareStart™ Malaria PAN (pLDH) Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) were used for blood testing at the field level. Armpit digital thermometers were used to measure axillary temperature. Result Overall malaria prevalence by RDTs was 1.17% (339/28973). The prevalence at District levels ranged from 0.0 to 4.7%. The proportion of symptomatic cases (axillary temperature > 37.5oc) in the survey was 9.2% (2760/29993). Among the 2510 symptomatic individuals tested with RDTs, only 3.35% (84/2510) were malaria positive. The 75.2% (255/339) of all malaria positives were asymptomatic. Of the total asymptomatic malaria cases, 10.2% (26/255) were under-five children and 89.8% (229/255) were above 5 years of age. Conclusion The study shows a decrease in malaria prevalence compared to the reports of previous malaria indicator surveys in the country. The finding can be used as a baseline for measuring the achievement of ongoing malaria elimination efforts. Particularly, the high prevalence of asymptomatic individuals (0.88%) in these transmission settings indicates there may be sustaining hidden transmission. Therefore, active case detection with more sensitive diagnostic techniques is suggested to know more real magnitude of residual malaria in the elimination-targeted areas.

55 Purpose Cancer currently is a major public health problem in developing countries. In Ethiopia, cancer is responsible for 5.8% of total national deaths. Patients often present with advanced stage cancer and have limited access to screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Access to affordable cytotoxic medicines is a major challenge in the care of patients with cancer, especially in resource-poor settings, such as Ethiopia. This aim of this study was to explore perceived challenges in the accessibility of cancer chemotherapy drugs among different stakeholders in Ethiopia. Methods A qualitative study was performed using face-to-face in-depth interviews with such key informants as health care providers, supply chain management experts, and decision makers working in the Ministry of Health. Results A total of six key informants participated in this case report, with two oncology pharmacists, two supply chain management experts, one expert from the Ministry of Health, and one private supplier. Challenges were explored and viewed from the perspectives of policy, supply chain management, and health service. The most frequently identified challenges were the presence of inconsistent services and few currently active cancer centers, such as Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital, Gondar University Hospital, and Jimma University Hospital; difficulties in cancer commodity management; implementation challenges with cancer medicine cost subsidy programs; lack of an efficient stock status reporting system; supplementary medicine requirements; an inefficient market (costly, few suppliers, and noneconomic quantities); the need for combinations of cancer medicines; and a lack of national treatment guidelines. Conclusion Respondents suggested ways forward that included the participation of relevant and specific stakeholders, such as government and private pharmaceutical suppliers, the Ministry of Health, nongovernmental organizations, and hospitals. Strengthening supply chain management at all levels and sustainable subsidy programs for cancer medicines should be sought to avoid frequent interruptions in the availability of chemotherapy drugs. AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST No COIs from the authors.

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