BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a major global health problem. More than three-quarters of HBV infection occur in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of acquiring HBV, hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections via exposure to patients’ blood and bodily fluids. HBV infection is a recognized occupational hazard, and non-immune health professionals are at risk of acquiring the infection from their work. This study was intended to assess the level of HBV vaccination status and factors affecting the vaccination status of health care workers in Shashemene Zonal Town.MethodsInstitution based cross-sectional study was conducted and a simple random sampling technique was used to select study subjects. A total of 423 HCWs were enrolled in the study. A structured and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect the required information through a face to face interview. Finally, data were processed and analyzed using Epi info version 7 and SPSS version 21. Both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess the effect of the various factors on vaccination status of HCWs. p value ≤0.05 at 95% CI was considered statistically significant.ResultsOverall, 53 (12.9%) respondents were found to be fully vaccinated. The multivariable logistic regression showed that, those respondents who are female, had ≥10 years of work experience and those working at governmental health care institutions were significantly associated with vaccination status (AOR = 3.84, 12.51, 2.45 respectively).ConclusionOur study revealed that vaccination status of subjects was below the WHO’s estimation of vaccination rate among HCWs in developing countries and was very poor when compared with other countries. This is a serious public health problem and challenge for a country with high prevalence of hepatitis B infection.

AuthorshipMK participated in the conception and design of the study and coordinated the data collection. TA critically reviewed the proposal, did the data analysis, the write up and prepared the manuscript for publication. BG and AA contributed by critically reviewing the proposal, design of the study, and data analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

BackgroundTuberculosis is among the top ten cause of death (9th) from a single infectious agent worldwide. It even ranks above HIV/AIDS. It is among the top 10 causes of death among children. Globally there are estimates of one million cases of TB in children, 76% occur in 22 high-burden countries among which Ethiopia ranked 8th. Despite this fact, children with TB are given low priority in most national health programs. Moreover reports on childhood TB and its predictors are very limited. Therefore this study aimed to assess predictors of pediatric Tuberculosis in Public Health Facilities.MethodsUnmatched case control study among a total samples of 432 (144 cases and 288 controls) were done from August to December 2016 in Bale zone, South East Ethiopia. Pediatric TB patients who attended health facilities for DOTS and those who attended health facilities providing DOTS service for any health problem except for TB were the study population for cases and controls, respectively. For each case two consecutive controls were sampled systematically. Data were collected using pretested and structured questionnaire through face to face interview with parents. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify predictors of Tuberculosis.ResultAmong cases there were equal number of male and female 71(50%). However among control 136 (47.9%) were male and the rest were female. The mean (standard deviation) of age among cases was 8.4 (±4.3) and controls were 7.3 (±4.1). The odds of TB were 2 times (AOR, 95% CI = 1.94(1.02–3.77)) more likely among 11–15 age group children when compared with children of age group ≤5. HIV status of the child, children who were fed raw milk and absence of BCG vaccination were the other predictors of pediatric TB with AOR 13.6(3.45–53.69), 4.23(2.26–7.88), and 5.46(1.82–16.32) respectively.ConclusionChildren who were not BCG Vaccinated were at risk of developing TB. Furthermore, HIV status, age of the child and family practice of feeding children raw milk are the independent predicators of pediatric TB in the study area.

Background: Cervical cancer is the second commonest cancer among women living in less developed countries. Although cervical cancer screening for HIV-infected women has been started in different centers in Addis Ababa, there is a paucity of data on the uptake of this service, particularly among HIV-infected women. Objective: This study is aimed to assess the level and determinants of cervical cancer screening uptake among HIV-positive reproductive-age women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire on 411 HIV-infected women aged 15–49 years in St. Paul’s and Zewditu Hospitals. Data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire on randomly selected study participants’ proportional allocation in the two hospitals. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess predictors of cervical cancer screening uptake. Results: Only 25.5% of HIV-positive reproductive-age women have been screened for cervical cancer. Respondents who have not heard about cervical cancer and the screening were 75% and 78% less likely to be screened compared to their counterparts, respectively. Conclusion: The uptake of cervical cancer screening was low in the study area. Awareness about cervical cancer screening was positively associated with cervical cancer screening uptake. Specific awareness programs focusing HIV positive women need to be implemented.

Background Pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection of the lungs. A child dies of pneumonia every 39 s globally. Even though pneumonia affects children worldwide, the risk and repercussions of the disease are more prevalent in poor and middle-income nations. Despite the initiatives by the Ethiopian government, there are still numerous instances and deaths caused by childhood pneumonia. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the risk factors for pneumonia among 2–59 months-old children visiting Adama Hospital Medical College, Adama, Ethiopia. Methods An institution-based unmatched case-control study was conducted among 124 cases and 124 controls from January 1, 2021, to March 15, 2021. Cases were selected using a consecutive sampling technique. For each case, the next patient from the same pediatric outpatient room who met the inclusion criteria was taken as a control. Data were collected using a pretested, structured interviewer-administered questionnaire containing sociodemographic, environmental, and nutritional factors, comorbid illnesses, and related care practices. A multiple logistic regression model was fitted. Results Family size of ≥ 5 compared to < 5 (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 3.08, 95% CI: 1.23, 7.71), household monthly income of < 2500 compared to > 5000 birr (AOR: 3.94, 95% CI: 1.06, 14.6), use of charcoal as the main fuel for cooking (AOR: 7.03, 95% CI: 2.38, 20.78), and wood or dung as the main fuel for cooking compared to electricity (AOR: 6.58, 95% CI: 2.07, 20.9), malnutrition compared to no malnutrition (AOR: 4.77, 95% CI: 1.89, 12.06), diarrhea compared to no diarrhea in the past 2 weeks (AOR: 3.3, 95% CI: 1.52, 7.14) and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) compared to no infection in the past 2 weeks (AOR: 3.29, 95% CI: 1.31, 8.23) were found to be risk factors for pneumonia. Conclusion In this study, risk factors for pneumonia were family size, monthly income, type of energy used for cooking, malnutrition, and diarrhea or URTI in the past 2 weeks. Relatively simple interventions such as cooking with electricity, and other interventions like prevention, early detection and treatment of malnutrition, diarrhea, and URTI, and promotion of family planning are important.