Background: Delay in treatment is also likely to be associated with a greater number of secondary cases per index case. Objective: to assess the length of patient and health system delays; and identify factors influencing these delays among pulmonary tuberculosis patients. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in 13 selected government health facilities that provide both diagnostic and treatment services using Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) program. Data were collected from pulmonary TB patients aged 15 years and above during their intensive phase of DOTS treatment using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: The median total delay was 90 days; with 28 days patient delay and 42 days health system delay. A large proportion (63%) of the overall total delay was contributed by health system delay. Patients from urban areas were 46% more likely to present to health care providers than patients from rural areas, adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) of 1.46 (95% CI: 1.10-1.95). Patients from urban areas were 54% more likely to be diagnosed and start treatment earlier than patients from rural areas, AHR of 1.54 (95% CI: 1.15-2.07). Female patients were more delayed to present to health providers than their male counterparts with AHR of 0.63 (95%CI: 0.47-0.84) but had shorter health system delay than male patients with AHR of 1.51 (95% CI: 1.1-22.04). Conclusion: A greater proportion of the overall total delay was contributed by health system delay. The health system should be more accessible for the unmet need. New approaches to make health services more accessible to those in greatest need (rural and women) should be designed and developed.

An attempt was made to understand the potential of Alternanthera philoxeroides, alligator weed to adapt to diverse conditions present in pond ecosystems, through a correlative investigation of its natural growth pattern and peroxidase level. Eleven ponds were graded into two subjective categories: "A. philoxeroides Infestation" (High, Medium, Low) and "Level of Pollution" (High and Low), to test for difference in mean peroxidase concentration in A. philoxeroides populations. Significant changes in mean peroxidase concentration in A. philoxeroides were found in ponds categorized on the basis of level of pollution, indicating the adaptability of this plant to propagate under pollution stress. On the other hand, there was no significant change in mean peroxidase concentration for plants growing in ponds categorized on the basis of infestation showed that dense, vegetative proliferation caused no stress in A. philoxeroides. An efficient method of assaying peroxidase in A. philoxeroides, under field conditions, using the best suited leaf group (Tips, Tips + 1st leaf pair", 2nd leaf pair) was also explored. "Tips + 1st leaf pair" proved to be a better sample than mature leaves for estimation of peroxidase concentration in A. philoxeroides.

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Background: Youth friendly reproductive health services are designed to entertain the unique needs of youth. Nevertheless, in developing countries like Ethiopia, knowledge, attitude and utilization of these services is very limited. This study was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude and the extent of utilization of youth friendly reproductive health services (YFRHS) and associated factors among students of Mizan-Tepi University, Southwestern, Ethiopia. Method: A public University-based cross-sectional study was conducted between October and January 2019. Simple random sampling technique was used to select participants from target population. Descriptive analysis, Chi-square test and logistic regression model were employed to identify the factors associated with YFRHS. Result: The results of descriptive analysis showed that about 55.4% of participants had no knowledge, 40.2% had negative attitudes and 61.2% had not practiced YFRHS. Majority 258(60.30%) of the respondents were females and 209(48.80%) were in the age group of 21-22 years. Most of the respondents lack basic information and knowledge, and have no any YFRHS in their surroundings 220(51.4%). Out of the 428 respondents, 57.9%, 59.3%, and 36.4% had never been practiced services related to VCT, family planning and contraception and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), respectively. The multivariable binary logistic regression result revealed that sex, age, religion, mother’s and father’s educational background, availability of YFRHS in the area and source of information had statistical significant effect on the knowledge, attitude and practices of students toward YFRHS. Male students were more likely to have knowledge and practicing experiences (OR = 1.847, p-value =0.015) and (OR=1.821, p-value = 0.017) respectively, however they had less likely positive attitudes (OR=0.519, p-value = 0.010) compared to their counterpart females. Students from primary and above educated mothers and fathers were more likely to have knowledge, attitude and practicing experience compared to students from uneducated mothers and fathers. Conclusion: The overall utilization, attitude and knowledge of YFRHS among study respondents’ are lower and therefore, further efforts like availability of YFRHS providers and improvement of facility, and education related to the service to all young groups and allocation of appropriate time of services is essential.

Onchocerciasis is a neglected tropical disease that is prevalent throughout Africa, including developing countries such as Ethiopia. It affects around 37 million people, the majority of whom are from Africa. As a result, the study was designed to look into the community’s knowledge, attitude, and practice about the onchocerciasis elimination campaign. Four communities from Gesha town, Southwest Ethiopia, were chosen. The population was selected using a basic random selection procedure, and 312 people were identified for the study based on the eligibility requirements, with 302 (96.79%) of them responding correctly. The data were analyzed using the descriptive method with the SPSS program version 20. It was discovered that the majority of communities (89.4%) are aware of onchocerciasis. They also have a good awareness of the severity, preventability, therapy, and mode of transmission, yet they have certain misunderstandings. The communities attitude towards community directed therapy (CDT) using Ivermectin is positive (68.5%). According to 56% of the community, offering incentives for community drug distributors (CDD) has the potential to make the elimination campaign more successful. Different measures, such as avoiding any activities near the river, are important in the process of eradicating this disease at the community level. As a result, the respondent demonstrates that covering the lower body part lessens the black fly’s vulnerability because they may attack below the knee. In general, community awareness and attitude are required to eradicate this disease from the district. In addition, increased stakeholder participation and offering motivating rewards for CDT are required to make the elimination program a success.