SARS-CoV-2 disease 2019 (COVID-19) is pandemic and currently becomes a serious cause of death worldwide. It is caused by a SARS-CoV-2 belonging to a family known as corona virus. The aim of this study is to assess the community knowledge, attitude and practice strategy implementation on SARS-CoV-2 disease 2019 (COVID-19). A cross-sectional survey study was done from July to October, 2020 in Woldia town, Northeast Ethiopia. Interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 404 respondents. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test with a 95% confidence interval to know the association of socio-demographic characteristics with the knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19. From a total of 404 responses collected (64.1%, n = 259/404), (50.7%, n = 205/404) and (39.6%, n = 160/404) of the respondents were between ages 18–39 years, males and were diploma and above, respectively. The majority of the respondents had good knowledge about the transmission mode and symptoms of COVID-19 and they obtained information mainly through mass media. The knowledge of the respondents about the transmission mode of COVID-I9 through coughing and sneezing, direct contact with infected person and touching contaminated materials was statistically associated with education and occupation (p <0.001). Among the total respondents (53.7%, n = 217/404) had a negative attitude that COVID-19 pandemic will not be controlled. The attitude of the respondents towards successfully controlling of COVID-I9 was statistically associated in terms of age, marital status, education and occupation (p < 0.001). Most of the respondents (63.1%, n = 255/404), (58.9%, n = 238/404), (66.8%, n = 270/404) and (63.9%, n = 258/404) did not wash hands with soap, avoidance of touching the nose and mouth, practicing social distancing and wearing of face masks in public or crowded places, respectively. The practices of the respondents towards COVID-19 were statistically associated with sex, marital status, education and occupation (p < 0.01). COVID-19 is currently the cause of death and it has a great impact on the economy, politics and social interactions in the study area. The government should strength the health system by increasing surveillance activities in detecting cases. Our findings suggest that the community should practice the WHO and EMoH recommendations to minimize the spread of the virus.

Background. The rapid growth of urban populations has led to a dramatic increase in urban waste generation with environmental and public health problems associated with water contamination, emission of toxic and noxious fumes, soil contamination and introduction of disease vector populations. Objectives. The aim of the present study was to assess solid waste disposal practices and challenges of solid waste management in Woldia town, northeastern Ethiopia. Methods. A descriptive research design was employed, using a survey method and naturalistic observational methods. A total of 236 households were surveyed, including waste collectors and cleaners, waste pickers, and 20 students and ten teachers from Woldia secondary and preparatory schools. A purposive sampling technique (made up of municipal officers, scavengers (waste pickers), waste collectors and cleaners and a simple random sampling technique (of teachers, students and kebeles of the study area) was employed, then proportional allocation was made for each randomly selected kebeles based on population size to determine the sample. Finally, survey questionnaire, interview, focus group discussion and observation were used as data collecting tools. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were also employed. Results. The current study revealed that educational status (AOR = 10.92, 95% CI = (3.12–38.27)), occupational status (AOR = 8.08, 95% CI = (2.08–31.31)), monthly income (AOR = 5.72, 95% CI = (1.55–21.13)), and age (AOR = 2.53, 95% CI = (1.04–6.19)) were found to be the major factors associated with solid waste management practices. Additionally, shortage of storage materials, lack of alternative waste disposal options, household attitudes, and lack of awareness were the major challenges for low performance of solid waste management practices of the local government and households. The focus group individuals and interviewed participants indicated that solid waste management practices were poor. Conclusions. The present study revealed that solid waste management practices in Woldia town remain inadequate. Therefore, efforts by the municipality and other stakeholders are needed to mitigate the problem of waste management and disposal practices. Participant Consent. Obtained Ethics Approval. The study was approved by the Institutional Research Ethics Review committee (IRERC) of Woldia University Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Infectious diseases due to contaminated street vended food items has happened to an essential concern and public health issue in low socio-economic status individuals. The goal of this study was to evaluate bacterial quality and safety of some food items sold in street based on aerobic mesophilic bacteria, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in Woldia town. Cross-sectional study was performed on some selected street vended foods from March 2019 to May 2019 in Woldia town. A total of 36 ready-to-eat food samples such as ‘Sambussa’, ‘Bonbolino’ and ‘Ambasha’ were collected for microbial analysis. Finding of the study indicates that 32(88.9 %) of the vendors were females, 28(77.7%) handled food with bare hands, 28(77.7%) vendors were washing their hands after toilet. The mean total count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was 4.5×102±5.2×101 CFUg-1, 1.5×102±4.5×101 CFUg-1, 1.1×102±1.4×101 CFUg-1 and 2×102±3.4×101 CFUg-1, respectively. The dominant bacterial isolate from the street vended foods was Escherichia coli (53.5%), followed by Salmonella (24.1%) and Staphylococcus aureus (22.4%). The result of this study demonstrates the non hygienic practices of the vendors in street vended foods showed high bacterial load. Therefore, the street vended foods were contaminated with food borne pathogenic bacteria that can create a potential risk to public health in the study area. In general, the bacterial quality of the food quality sold in street in Woldia town was very poor and needs especial attention to avoid bacterial contamination.

Background: The rate of multidrug resistant tuberculosis is increasing at an alarming rate throughout the world. It is becoming an emerging public health problem in East Africa. Prevalence of MDR-TB among TB positive individuals in the region has not been synthesized. Determining the pooled prevalence of MDR-TB among newly diagnosed and previously treated TB cases in East Africa is the main objective of this review.Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the researcher searched six electronic databases: Google scholar, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Science direct and Web of Science. Funnel plot symmetry visualization confirmed by Egger’s regression asymmetry test and Begg rank correlation methods was used to assess publication bias. The pooled prevalence estimate was calculated using Der Simonian and Laird’s random Effects model. A total of 16 articles published in East Africa from 2007 and 2019 were included in this study. STATA software (version 14, Texas, USA) was used for analysis. Results: Out of 1025 articles identified citations, a total of 16 articles published in East Africa from 2007 and 2019 were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of MDR-TB among newly diagnosed TB cases and previously treated TB patients to be 4% (95%CI=2-5%) and 21% (95%CI: 14-28%), respectively. Living conditions, lifestyles (smoking, alcohol use, and drug abuse), previous medical history, diabetes history and HIV infection risk factors contribute to higher prevalence of MDR-TB in East Africa.Conclusion: An early diagnosis of tuberculosis and rapid detection of drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a serious concern to identify patients who are not responding to the standard treatment and to avoid spreading of resistant strains. It is also very essential to strengthen tuberculosis control and improved monitoring of chemotherapy.