Background The coronavirus has affected nearly every aspect of our lives. Most importantly the health-care workers (HCWs) are under insurmountable psychological pressures which lead them to various mental health problems, such as anxiety, stress, and depression. Objective This study aimed to assess mental health adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic on health-care workers in North West Ethiopia 2020. Materials and Methods Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A simple random sampling technique was applied and 419 participants completed the questionnaire. Mental health adverse effects were measured using the depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS-21). Data were entered into Epi data version 4.4.2 then exported to SPSS version 24 for analysis. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate binary logistic regressions with odds ratios and 95% confidence interval were employed. The level of significance of association was determined at a p-value < 0.05. Results Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in this study was 58.2%, 64.7%, and 63.7%, respectively Those who had a medical illness, and mental illness, contact with confirmed COVID-19 pts, and poor social support showed a statistically significant association with depression. Female sex, participants who had families with chronic illness, had contact with confirmed COVID-19 case and poor social support had statistically significant association with anxiety, whereas participants who had families with chronic illness had contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases, and those participants who had poor social support were predictors of stress during COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion The magnitudes of mental health problems were higher and the concerned body should emphasize the continuous assessment of the mental health of health-care workers during this pandemic.

Objective This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of post-traumatic stress disorder among health professionals working in South Gondar Zone hospitals in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amhara Ethiopia 2020. Methods Institutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted. A total of 396 respondents completed the questionnaire and were included in the analysis. A previously adapted self-administered pretested standard questionnaire, Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R-22) was used to measure post-traumatic stress disorder. Data was entered into Epi data version 4.4.2 then exported to SPSS version 24 for analysis. Descriptive and analytical statistical procedures, bivariate, and multivariate binary logistic regressions with odds ratios and 95% confidence interval were employed. The level of significance of association was determined at a p-value < 0.05. Results The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among health care providers in this study was 55.1% (95% CI: 50.3, 59.6). Lack of standardized PPE supply (AOR = 2.5 7,95CI;1.37,4.85), respondents age > 40 years (AOR = 3.95, 95CI; 1.74, 8.98), having medical illness (AOR = 4.65, 95CI;1.65,13.12), perceived stigma (AOR = 1.97, 95CI;1.01, 3.85), history of mental illness(AOR = 8.08,95IC;2.18,29.98) and having poor social support (AOR = 4.41,95CI;2.65,7.3) were significantly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder at p-value < 0.05. Conversely, being a physician (AOR = 0.15, 95CI; 0.04, 0.56) was less affected by PTSD. Conclusions The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among health care providers in this study was high. Adequate and standardized PPE supply, giving especial emphasis to those care providers with medical illness, history of mental illness, and having poor social support, creating awareness in the community to avoid the stigma faced by health care providers who treat COVID patients is recommended.

ObjectivesTo assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated factors among the survivors of Koshe landslide, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2018.DesignCommunity-based cross-sectional design.SettingKoshe landslide, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ParticipantsWe recruited 830 participants for interviews using the simple random sampling technique.MeasurementWe collected data by face-to-face interviews. The civilian version of the PTSD checklist was used to measure the symptoms of the disorder. The Perceived Stress Scale and the Oslo-3 social support instruments were used to assess the factors. Coded variables were entered into Epi data V.4.2 and exported to SPSS V.24 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions with OR and 95% CI were employed.ResultA total of 830 participants were interviewed, with a response rate of 98.2%. The prevalence of PTSD was 37.3% with 95% CI 34.1 to 40.8. In the multivariate logistic regression, female sex (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.74, 95% CI 1.21 to 2.50), divorce (AOR=2.08, 95% CI 1.26 to 3.43), sustained physical injury (AOR=8.28, 95% CI 5.04 to 13.61), history of mental illness (AOR=5.55, 95% CI 2.30 to 13.36), family history of mental illness (AOR=2.82, 95% CI 1.48 to 5.37), poor social support (AOR=3.64, 95% CI 1.99 to 6.69) and high perceived stress (AOR=3.08, 95% CI 1.43 to 6.64) were associated with PTSD.Conclusion and recommendationsThe prevalence of PTSD among the survivors of Koshe landslide was high. We recommend that an early PTSD-focused regular screening be carried out by trained health professionals; linkage with mental health service providers also needs to be considered.

ObjectiveThe current study was conducted to assess the prevalence and associated factors of shift work sleep disorder among nurses working at Ethiopian federal government hospitals in Addis Ababa.MethodsAn institutional-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2018 using self-administered structured questionnaires. Computer-generated simple random sampling technique was used to select a total of 422 nurses as study participants. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders - Third Edition, Bargen Insomnia Scale and/or Epworth Sleepiness Scale were used to measure the outcome shift work sleep disorder. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression were used. OR with 95% CI was used to measure the strength of association, and a p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant in multivariate analysis.ResultsAbout a quarter (25.6%) of the study participants have shift work sleep disorder. The average number of nights per month for the last 1 year (adjusted OR=6.3, 95% CI 3.513 to 12.35) and working in three-shift rotation (adjusted OR=3.1, 95% CI 1.68 to 5.83) were significantly associated with shift work sleep disorder.ConclusionA quarter of shift worker nurses are suffering from shift work sleep disorder. The number of nights on average per month for the last 1 year and working in three-shift rotation were significantly associated with shift work sleep disorder. Shift working conditions should be improved to provide less stressful conditions for nurses, ensuring at the same time an appropriate quality of care over a 24-hour period. More studies are necessary to better highlight the burden of shift work on the health and well-being of both nurses and patients.

Since December 2019, coronavirus diseases-2019 (COVID-19) dispersed into 200 countries and affected more than 70 million people. The clear picture of the SARS-CoV-2 infection is still under investigation. In this review, we evaluated whether C-reactive protein biomarker is able to predict the clinical outcomes or correlated with the severity of COVID-19 disease. The databases MEDLINE, Hinari, Google Scholar, and Google search were used to find potential studies published from COVID-19 epidemic until May 2021. A format prepared in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was used to extract the appropriate details from each original report. For further review, the extracted data were exported to STATA/MP version 16.0 software. Keywords including “COVID-19,” “SARS-CoV-2,” and “C-reactive protein,” among others were used to search relevant articles. Only studies which reported the average C-reactive protein value and COVID-19 disease stage outcomes were included. Twenty articles were included in the review. All studies found considerably higher level of C-reactive protein in patients with severe COVID-19 as compared to mildly infected patients. This review evidenced that it is still there for a given biomarker to early identify the state of progression in asymptomatic and/or mildly infected individuals into severe disease; the level of C-reactive protein may be used in predicting the likelihood of disease progression. Findings from this review showed level of C-reactive protein is a good biomarker to predict the severity of COVID-19 disease. Although COVID-19 researches are at the early stages, investigation of C-reactive protein levels throughout the disease course may have paramount importance for clinicians in early detection of severe manifestations and subsequently improve the prognosis. However, further large-scale studies are required to confirm these findings.

Introduction. Although the efforts at global and national levels have attempted to decrease the COVID-19 pandemic, the low level of preparedness among healthcare providers is a challenge mainly in developing countries. Hence, this study is aimed at assessing the level of preparedness for COVID-19 and its associated factors among frontline healthcare providers in South Gondar public hospitals, northwest Ethiopia. Methods and Materials. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 207 selected healthcare providers who were working in South Gondar public hospital from July 08 to August 29, 2020. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The healthcare providers were selected through simple random sampling techniques. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions with a 95% confidence interval were fitted with 95% CI to establish the associated factors with a low level of preparedness. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. The overall level of preparedness among healthcare providers for COVID-19 was found to be 41.3% (95% CI: 37.4, 44.7). Only 81 (40.1%) healthcare providers had prepared for telling their family and friends if they are infected with COVID-19. Besides, only 23.8% of healthcare providers obtained alcohol-based hand sanitizer in every patient room. Factors associated with a low level of preparedness include being male ( AOR = 2.5 , 95% CI: 1.22–4.94), unmarried ( AOR = 3.4 , 95% CI: 1.44–8.00), and working experience less than five years ( AOR = 3.4 , 95% CI: 1.29-9.09). Conclusion. The level of preparedness among frontline healthcare providers towards COVID-19 was found to be very low. In the future, more emphasis should be placed on healthcare providers who are male, unmarried, and had working experience of lower than five years to decrease the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background Although severe acute malnutrition is a major public issue among HIV infected children, there is no prior evidence in Ethiopia. Hence, this study aims to assess the time to develop severe acute malnutrition and its predictors among children living with human immunodeficiency virus in Ethiopia, 2012. Methods An institution based retrospective cohort study was conducted in South Gondar hospitals among 363 HIV infected children from February 10, 2014, to January 7, 2021. Epi-data version 3.1 was used to enter data, which was then exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. Besides, WHO (World Health Organization) Anthro Plus software was used to assess the nutritional status of the children. A standardized data extraction tool was used to collect the data. The Kaplan Meier survival curve was used to estimate the median survival time. The Cox-proportional hazard model assumption was checked via the Schoenfeld residual ph test and a stph plot. Bivariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were employed at 95% confidence intervals (CI). A variable having a p-value < 0.05 was considered a statistically significant predictor of severe acute malnutrition. Results A total of 363 children living with HIV, 97 (26.72%) developed severe acute malnutrition during the follow-up period. The overall incidence rate was 5.4 (95% CI: 4.7–5.9) person per year with a total of 21, 492 months or 1791 years of observation. Moreover, the median survival time was 126 months. Treatment failure [AHR =3.4 (95% CI: 2.05–5.75)], CD4 count below threshold [AHR =2.5 (95% CI: 1.64–3.95)], and WHO stage III & IV [AHR =2.9 (95% CI: 1.74–4.73)] were all significant predictors of severe acute malnutrition. Conclusion The time to develop severe acute malnutrition was found to be very low. Treatment failure, CD4 count below threshold, and WHO stage III were all significant predictors of severe acute malnutrition. Hence, emphasizing those predictor variables is essential for preventing and controlling the occurrence of severe acute malnutrition among HIV infected children.

Background Alcohol use disorder is the major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries that account for up to 70% of alcohol related premature mortality in the region. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of alcohol use disorder and its associated factors among adult residents in south Gondar zone, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 848 adult residents of the south Gondar zone from January 13 to February 13, 2020. A multistage sampling technique was used to recruit study participants. We assessed alcohol use disorder (AUD) using the alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT). A binary logistic regression model was employed to identify factors associated with AUD. Results The prevalence of alcohol use disorder over the last 12-months was found to be 23.7% (95% CI: 20.9, 26.7). Being male (AOR = 4.34, 95 CI; 2.800, 6.743), poor social support (AOR = 1.95, 95 CI: 1.098, 3.495), social phobia (AOR = 1.69, 95 CI; 1.117, 2.582), perceived high level of stress (AOR = 2.85, 95 CI; 1.829, 34.469), current cigarette smoking (AOR = 3.06, 95 CI; 1.764, 5.307) and comorbid depression (AOR = 1.81, 95 CI; 1.184, 2.778) were significantly associated with alcohol use disorder. Conclusion The prevalence of alcohol use disorder is high among adult residents of the south Gondar zone and associated with many factors. So, it needs public health attention to decrease the magnitude of alcohol use disorder in Ethiopia.