Background: Biomedical waste generated from health and health-related activities can be grouped as general waste and hazardous waste. This remains true if and only if there is proper on-site handling, such as the segregation and separation of waste based on the type and nature of the source. Methods: A stratified random sampling design was used to provide representative results for Ethiopia, for various types of facility and management authorities, and for each of the 11 regions. Totally, 1327 health facilities were assessed using the World Health Organization (WHO) inventory tools. Results: Nationally, medical waste in 32.6% of the studied health facilities was stored in covered containers, and in about 27% of them it was stored in another protected environment. About 40% of health facilities stored their medical waste in unprotected areas. Twenty-eight (2.6%) and 420 (39.3%) health facilities used 2-chamber industrial incinerators and 1-chamber drum incinerators, respectively. About 58% of health facilities used unsafe waste treatment methods. The proportion of using safe medical waste disposal method was high in referral hospitals (87.9%). This shows the utilization of safe medical waste disposal methods is in decreasing order from higher to lower levels of organization in health facilities. Conclusion: The present study showed a preliminary finding on the waste disposal systems of health facilities at the national level. Dumping biomedical waste outside the health facility is common, and access to common waste facilities is limited. Therefore, a holistic approach to safe medical waste management practices, including the collection process (handling, sorting, and segregation), storage, treatment and final disposal is crucial in all types of health facilities, regardless of the level of organization, ownership, or geographic distribution.
Background: Currently in Ethiopia, Ecotourism is expanding around hot springs, and the increasing recognition of the value of this smokeless industry suggests that there will be a rekindling of interest in thermal springs in the near future. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between bird diversity with physicochemical water quality and habitat quality of hot springs in Easter Amhara Region. Methods: A cross sectional study of physical, chemical and biological components of the hot springs was carried out to assess their ecological status. Samples were collected from March to May 2013. Biological samples were collected to provide a qualitative description of the community composition of bird species at each sampling site. Water samples were collected for analysis of selected physicochemical parameters following water quality assessment protocols. Results: A total of 2484 birds belonging to 56 species were recorded at the 12 sampling sites. Black headed Oriole (Oriolus larvatus), Spur Winged Lapwing (Vanellus spinosus), Spectacled Weaver (Places ocularis) and Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) where the most abundant bird species in the study area and accounts 35 % of the total species. Human disturbance and habitant conditions varied considerably between sites in the study area. Conclusion: Although human disturbance and water pollution are among the factors influencing ecological quality, there are no strong correlations between physicochemical properties of hot springs and species diversity and this suggests that birds are not the major ecological indicator in hot springs.
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