Based on the sustainable development goals, the United Nations plans to achieve equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and to end open defecation by 2030. In Ethiopia, 60% to 80% of health problems are due to communicable diseases attributable to unsafe water supply, unhygienic and unsanitary waste management, which are directly linked to the practice of open defecation. This study has aimed at assessing the implementation of community-led total sanitation and hygiene (CLTSH) and associated factors. A community-based cross-sectional study design involving 420 of the 7,225 households found in Diretiyara district was conducted in June 2014. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Using Logistic Regressions, bivariate and multivariate analyses were computed. This study showed that 66% of the respondents have knowledge of CLTSH. Eighty-nine percent of the respondents have latrine, of which 78% were constructed after the introduction of CLTSH. Eleven percent of the respondents reported to have defected in the open field and 15% of them reported that they had been recently exposed to diarrhea diseases. The occurrence of diarrheal disease was significantly associated with the extent of latrine ownership [AOR = 2.48; 95% CI 1.00, 6.12]. Attitude and perception parameters were significantly associated with consistent latrine utilization. Respondents who agreed that "Open defecation is preferred due to the unpleasant smell and heat from the Latrine'' [COR = 0.58; 95% CI 0.34, 0.99] were 58% less likely to use the latrine consistently. In conclusion, CLTSH has increased the extent of latrine ownership and decreased practice of open defecation, and yet, intermittent latrine use and poor hygienic practice were reported. Although some fundamental misconceptions were reported, the majority of the respondents have accepted CLTSH approach as a means to ending open defecation in their village. Health extension workers and local authorities should give emphasis to achieving sustainable behavioral change on improved sanitation and good hygiene practices.

Pesticides play a very important role for ensuring food security and economic growth but their use can cause harmful effects to human health and to the environment. The study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge, health risk perceptions, and experiences on the practice of pesticide use and management among extension officers in Ethiopia and plant doctors in Hungary. A questionnaire survey among 326 officers was conducted in the two study areas and data were analyzed by ordinal logistic regression. According to the findings, Hungarian officers had much better knowledge of pesticide products (92%), and less frequently experienced pesticide poisoning among applicators (7%) than the Ethiopians (66% and 41%, respectively). Hungarian officers perceived less health risk of pesticide use (AOR = 0.46, 95%, Cl: 0.27–0.80), were ten times more likely to deem the pesticide management system effective (AOR = 10.23, 95%, Cl: 5.68–18.46) and were nine times more likely to report that applicators used personal protective equipment (AOR = 8.95, 95%, Cl: 4.94–16.28). A significant proportion of officers from both countries reported inappropriate methods of pesticide residue disposal. These observations point out that the situation of pesticide use and knowledge and management of pesticide products is definitely better in Hungary; nevertheless, the issue continues to need more attention in both settings.

In developing countries, safe piped drinking water is generally unavailable, and bottled water is unaffordable for most people. In these countries, diarrhea accounts for the largest cause of disease and nearly 50% of deaths in young children. In Ethiopia, childhood diarrhea is a serious public health issue that affects 13.5 to 30.5% of the children with different diarrheal causes. Nonetheless as of late for work, no thorough comprehensive review for the pooled prevalence of diarrhea as well as the risk factors has been conducted, which was the goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis. A Search was conducted of numerous international databases, including PubMed, Medline, Embase, Direct Science, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Global Health, Google Scholar, CINAHL and University Repository. Articles from the last ten (10) years ranged from 2015 to mid-2024 were included. Using a common data extraction format, three authors extracted all required data. The statistical program STATA Version 17 was used to analyze pooled prevalence of diarrhea and the risk factors among children under five years old. The heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated using the I2 test and the Cochrane Q test statistics. Pooled prevalence of diarrhea and risk factors were calculated. The random effect model was utilized to investigate the relationships between risk factors and prevalence of diarrhea at national level. The random effect size was deemed to be less than 0.05 at a confidence interval of 95% (CI:95%). Out of 2548 studies, 36 studies were eligible for the review from north, southern, central, eastern and western part of Ethiopia. Regarding mothers/caregivers, out of 29,881 total populations, 10,641(36%) them were accessed from the national data reported by single study, 7438 (25%) and 5882(20%) were extracted from studies conducted in the northern and eastern Ethiopia, respectively. The pooled prevalence of two weeks diarrhea among children under five years old for the last ten years was 19.62% (95%CI:15.93, 23.31). Of this, 19.82% (95% CI:12.74–26.90%) and 19.83 (95% CI:15.31–24.36%) were between the interval of 2015–2019, and 2020- mid-2024, respectively. The pooled adjusted odds of improper disposal of child feces (AOR:3.33, 95% CI:2.70, 4.11), unvaccinated against Rota virus (AOR:1.81,95% CI:1.55, 2.12) and low maternal education (AOR:1.05, 95%CI:1.00, 1.11) were the risk factors for the prevalence of diarrhea among children under five years old. Meanwhile, the pooled adjusted odds of unimproved latrine (AOR:1.27, 95% CI:1.21, 1.35), improper waste disposal (AOR:2.57,95% CI:2.35, 2.81) and utilized untreated water (AOR:1.72, 95% CI:1.52, 1.94) were the significant risk factors. Also, adjusted odds for lack of handwashing (AOR:3.12, 95% CI:2.52, 3.88) and absence of handwashing during critical times (AOR:3.27,95%CI:3.06,4.49) were the risk factors. A number of risk variables contribute to diarrhea morbidity among children under five years old, which was substantially correlated with water, hygiene and sanitation, illiterate mothers and access to a safe water source. Effective interventions such as promotion and education of proper hygiene, sanitation, proper hand washing; latrine installation at the household and community level; household-based chlorination; and improved water storage to prevent diarrhea among these age group is recommended.

Although pesticides play an integral role in food security and preventing public health from vector-borne diseases, inappropriate handling and continual use of restricted organochlorine pesticides pose short- and long-term adverse effects and become public health concerns in the African region. This study aimed to determine the combined level of protective equipment use, management of empty pesticide containers, and leftover pesticide residues in the African region. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and the meta-analysis protocol were used to carry out this study. The Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, DOAJ, and National Repository databases were searched for articles published between November 12, 2023, and January 2, 2024. The meta-analysis data were visualized using a forest plot. A random-effects model was applied when heterogeneity existed in pooled studies. Subgroup analysis of the data was performed based on the location where the study was conducted and the publication year. Meta-regression and sensitivity analysis were performed to evaluate the robustness of the pooled prevalence of studies. Publication bias was assessed using a funnel plot. The authors used the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Assessment tool to determine the quality of the studies. In this review, 2174 articles were identified from the included electronic databases, 24 of which were included in the present study. The study revealed that the combined mean prevalence of wearing a mask, glove, boot/safety shoes, overall wear, and head cover accounted for 18% (95% CI: 11.9 to 26.1%, p < 0.001), 18% (95% CI: 11.7 to 26.9%, p < 0.001), 23% (95% CI: 15.7 to 33.3%, p < 0.001), 26% (95% CI: 16.2 to 38.7%, p < 0.001), and 14% (95% CI: 8.90 to 22.0%, p < 0.001), respectively. The prevalence of pesticides stored in the living room and pesticide containers used for different purposes was 51% and 26%, respectively. Poor pesticide safety practices were identified. A substantial proportion of the respondents reported storing pesticide residues in their living rooms, and the reuse of pesticide empty containers. Regional institutions should lead the designing of safety strategies to reduce the public health risks of pesticide exposure.

Background: DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is a synthetic organochlorine pesticide used in agriculture and mosquito control but later banned due to its harmful effects on humans. It persists in the environment, biomagnified through the food chain, and poses serious health risks, including reproductive defect, cancer, and nervous system disorders. DDT has a long half-life and potential of long-range transport and continuing to contaminate long after use and remains to pose a global environmental and health concern. Therefore, this review was designed to assess the concentration of DDT metabolites (p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, and p,p'-DDE) in various food items and evaluate the health risk to consumers in the African.Methods: The preferred reporting item for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) protocol was used to conduct this work. SCOPUS, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, DOAJ, national repository, and MedNar were used to retrieve articles from October 1, 2023, to January 20, 2024. Meta-analysis data visualized using a forest plot. A random-effects model was applied when heterogeneity existed in overall mean concentration of DDT metabolites. The subgroup analysis, meta-regression, and sensitivity analysis was conducted and the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Assessment tool to assess the quality of the studies.Results: The overall mean concentrations of p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDE, regardless of the types of food items, were 0.188, 0.22, and 0.0878 mg/kg, respectively. Based on the type of food items, The current study found that residue levels of DDT metabolites in vegetables, milk, and cereals exceeded the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) set by FAO/WHO/EU (0.05, 0.02, and 0.05 mg/kg, respectively), while residue levels in meat, khat, and fruit were below the MRLs (5, 0.5, and 0.05 mg/kg, respectively). The findings of the health risk assessment revealed that consumers are prone to both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks from DDT metabolites. The persistence and bioaccumulation of these metabolites, along with multiple exposure routes and improper handling, may increase long-term health risks, even at low doses. DDT metabolite levels in most food categories exceed recommended limits, posing significant health risks to consumers. To reduce reliance on DDT, effective and cost-efficient alternative insecticides and vector-control strategies must be developed. Promoting environmental management, improving housing, and implementing farm-to-fork risk-based actions, such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), across the food chain are crucial to mitigating the adverse effects of DDT exposure in the African region.

Background: Home-based care services like improved water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) practice are vital for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to improve their quality of life. The negative impact of inadequate WaSH services is more pronounced among HIV-infected individuals leading them to low economic productivity, poor-nourished, immuno-compromised, and death. The aim of this study was to investigate the adequacy of improved sources of drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene practice for the reduction of diarrheal disease among people living with HIV/AIDS, Harar region, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 422 PLWHA in the Harar region related to WaSH as home-based care services and the prevalence of diarrheal disease using a standardized survey questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multivariate Poisson regressions models were performed by SPSS Version 25. Using generalized linear models, adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) with 95%Cl and p-value were computed to assess the strength of association between the outcome and explanatory variables. A significant association was assured when the p-value is less than 0.05. Results: In the present study, the two-week prevalence of diarrheal disease was 25%, of which 16% experienced two or more diarrheal episodes. Moreover, 87% of PLWHA used an improved source of drinking water, 66% used improved sanitation facilities, and 68% have good hygiene practices. Only 37% of the respondents acquired a basic water service level (≥ 20lcd) and 58% of PLWHA acquired the recommended quantity of safe water for drinking (≥ 1.5lcd). In multivariate analysis, the adjusted prevalence ratio of the 2-week prevalence of diarrhea was lower by 8% (APR =1.08; 95%Cl: 1.02, 1.14), 7% (APR =1.07; 95%Cl: 1.01, 1.14), and 5% (APR =1.05; 95%Cl: 1.00, 1.11) among PLWHA who have good hygiene practice, wash their hand with soap 24 hours before the survey, and used sanitation facility consistently, respectively. Conclusion: The current study results showed that PLWHA has inadequate access to improved drinking water sources, improved sanitation facilities, and hygienic practice; these triggers stakeholders for proper interventions, effective integration of adequate WaSH services to the HIV/AIDS program to enhance the quality of life of PLWHA.