Background: Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in HIV/AIDs patients, and its prevalence is three times higher in HIV/AIDs patients. Globally, over 35 million people were living with HIV/AIDs, 24.7 million were in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study aims to estimate the prevalence and determine factors associated with depression among HIV/AIDs adult patients in the ART unit at Banadir Hospital Mogadishu, Somalia. Method: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 May and 1 July 2022. Samples were recruited from the HIV/AIDs adult patients attending in ART unit at Banadir Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia. A validated research tool, including sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical, and psycho-social characteristics, three items social support scale, an 11-item HIV stigma scale, and patient health questions-9 (PHQ-9) were used. The interview was conducted privet room in the ART unit. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with depression at the significance level a = 0.050. Result: The overall prevalence of depression among HIV/AIDs patients was 33.5% (95%CI = 28.1–39.0). In the multivariable logistic regression, three factors were associated with depression; the odds of depression were 3.415 times (95%CI=1.465–7.960) greater for those with poor social support than those with moderate-strong social support. Those with moderate and poor treatment adherence had 14.307 times (95%CI=5.361–38.182) greater odds of depression than those with good treatment adherence. Those who use substances had 3.422 times (95%CI=1.727–6.781) greater odds of having depression than those who did not. Conclusion: People living with HIV in Mogadishu, Somalia, suffer from depression. The implementation to reduce depression should be focused on empowering social support, developing an appropriate approach to increase treatment adherence, and reducing or eliminating substance use.

Background: Measles is endemic in Somalia; recurrent outbreaks are reported annually. Under-five children are the most affected due to low immunization coverage, vitamin A deficiency, and malnutrition. The study aims to evaluate the demographical, clinical, and complication variations between vaccinated and unvaccinated hospitalized children with measles in the study hospital. Method: A hospital-based retrospective cohort study was implemented between 10 October and 10 November 2022 by reviewing case record files following a well-structured checklist of admitted clinical features, demographic characteristics, history of measles immunization, and measles complication status. Descriptive statistics were used by presenting frequency and percentage for categorical and the mean score for continuous variables. χ² and Fisher’s exact test at P =0.05 were used to identify the proportions differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated cases. Result: A total of 93 hospitalized measles children participated in the study. Over half were boys, the mean age in months was 20.9 (SD±7.28), and over two-thirds of the mothers/caregivers did not have formal education. Almost 9.7% of hospitalized measles children had one dose of the measles-containing vaccine, while none had two doses. The vaccinated cases had fewer ill with fewer complications than the unvaccinated cases. Fever, cough, rash, and Koplik’s spots were clinical features associated with measles immunization status. Conclusion: Around one in ten hospitalized children had one dose of the measles vaccine. Vaccinated cases had fewer illnesses with few complications than unvaccinated cases. The paper highly emphasizes providing booster doses, improving vaccine logistics and storage, and following immunization schedules. In addition, conducting further multicentral high sample-size studies is highly required to identify whether vaccine inadequacy was due to host-related or vaccine-related factors.

Introduction: Opportunistic infections (OIs) remain the leading cause of death among people living with Human immune deficient virus and OIs-related mortality in Africa is estimated at 310 000 cases. Besides, Somalia has scant data about OIs since a high burden of tuberculosis and HIV co-infection has been reported. Hence, up-to-date information is vital for better treatment and interventions and may support national and international HIV strategies and eradication programs. Therefore, this study aims to estimate the magnitude of OIs and determine factors associated with among people living with HIV/AIDs on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in a selected public hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia. Materials and methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 June and 30 August 2022 by interviewing HIV patients and reviewing case record files using a validated questionnaire containing sociodemographic, clinical, OIs history, behavioural and environmental characteristics. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with OIs at the significance level of a=0.05. Result: The magnitude of OIs among people living with HIV was 37.1% (95% CI=31.6–42.2); major identified OIs were pulmonary tuberculosis 8.2%, Diarrhoea 7.9%, and Pneumonia 4.3%. Based on Multivariable logistic regression drinking non-sterilized water [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.395, 95% CI: 2.010–4.168], living with domestic animals (AOR=4.012, 95% CI: 1.651–4.123), Co-morbidity of chronic disease (AOR=2.910, 95% CI: 1.761–3.450), and poor ART adherence (AOR=3.121, 95% CI: 1.532–6.309) were factors associated with OIs. Conclusion: Human immune deficient virus patients in Mogadishu, Somalia, suffer from OIs. The OIs reduction strategies should improve drinking water sanitation, provide special consideration for those living with domestic animals and those with a co-morbid chronic disease, and improve ART adherence.

Surgical safety remains a critical global health concern, with complications from surgical procedures resulting in significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) has been shown to reduce surgical complications and mortality rates. However, its implementation and impact in resource-limited settings like Somalia remain understudied. This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of the WHO SSC in selected hospitals in Mogadishu, Somalia, and assess its impact on surgical safety practices. A pre- and post-intervention study was conducted in 15 randomly selected hospitals in Mogadishu, Somalia. The intervention involved a comprehensive training program on the WHO SSC for surgical teams. Data on hospital characteristics, surgical details, and adherence to the SSC were collected over two periods: pre-intervention (April 12th to May 4th, 2024) and post-intervention (May 12th to June 3rd, 2024). The primary outcome was the adherence to the SSC, categorized as good (> 60%) or poor (≤ 60%). Descriptive statistics, McNemar’s test, and binary logistic regression were used for data analysis. Adherence to the WHO SSC significantly improved post-intervention, with 98.8% of surgical cases demonstrating good adherence compared to 37% pre-intervention (p < 0.001). The mean adherence score increased from 51.6% (SD = 29.6) to 94.1% (SD = 8.2). Significant improvements were observed for most individual checklist items, including patient identity confirmation, surgical site marking, anesthesia machine checks, and pulse oximeter use (p < 0.001). Team dynamics and communication also improved significantly post-intervention. Hospital type, size, years of service, funding source, surgical department, surgery type, urgency, and staff numbers were associated with checklist adherence pre-intervention. The implementation of a comprehensive training intervention significantly improved adherence to the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in resource-limited hospitals in Mogadishu, Somalia. The findings highlight the feasibility and effectiveness of the SSC in enhancing surgical safety practices, team communication, and patient outcomes in challenging healthcare environments. Tailored implementation strategies, ongoing training, and cultural adaptation are crucial for the successful adoption of the SSC in resource-constrained settings.

Background: In September 2022, a new Ebola outbreak was reported in Uganda, East Africa, and 142 confirmed cases, including 19 Healthcare workers (HCWs) reported. Ebola is not endemic in Somalia, but the country is at a reasonable risk of the virus being introduced due to the direct connection with daily flights from Uganda without border health control and prevention activities. Therefore, evaluating HCWs' Knowledge and attitude is crucial since this is the first time being evaluated in Somalia. The study's objective is to evaluate the HCWs' Knowledge and attitude toward the Ebola virus disease in Somalia.Method: An online self-administrated cross-sectional survey was conducted among HCWs (n = 1103) in all six federal member states of Somalia using a validated, reliable, well-structured questionnaire. Data we analyzed using descriptive statistics and Logistic regression were used to determine sociodemographic characteristics associated with poor Knowledge and negative attitude.Result: Over one-third (37.3%) of HCWs had poor Knowledge; the mean knowledge score was 7.97 SD ± 2.15. Almost 40.1% of the HCWs had a negative attitude; the mean attitude was 27.81 SD ± 8.06. Low-income HCWs (AOR = 2.06, 95%CI:1.01–4.19), Married HCWs (AOR = 1.39, 95%CI: 1.110–1.963), Midwives (AOR = 2.76, 95%CI: 1.74–4.39), Lab technicians (AOR = 2.43, 95%CI: 1.43–4.14), HCWs work in Jubaland state of Somalia (AOR = 3.69, 95%CI: 2.39–5.70), Galmudug state (AOR = 8.50, 95%CI: 4.59–15.77), Hirshabelle state (AOR = 3.18, 95%CI: 2.15–4.71) were more likely to have poor Knowledge compared to their counterparts. HCWs who work in Hirshabelle state (AOR = 5.44,95%CI: 3.58–8.27), Jubaland state (AOR = 8.47, 95%CI: 4.69–15.29), and Galmudug state (AOR = 4.43, 95%CI: 3.03–6.48) was more likely to have a negative attitude than those working in the Banadir region administration.Conclusion: Most Somali healthcare workers showed good Knowledge and a positive attitude toward the Ebola virus. The implementation to enhance Knowledge and attitude must specifically focus on low-income HCWs, Midwives, Lab technicalities, and those who work in Hirshabelle, Jubaland, and Galmudug states of Somalia.

Background: Somalia’s health system remains among the world’s most fragile, with a Universal Health Coverage index of only 25% and a critical health workforce density of 0.11 clinicians per 1000 population. While previous national strategies such as NDP-9 and HSSP III provided broad frameworks, the National Transformation Plan (NTP) 2025– 2029 represents a paradigm shift toward multi-stakeholder engagement and evidence-based priority-setting for health system transformation. Aim: This roundtable aimed to identify priority areas and implementation strategies for the NTP health pillar through structured stakeholder consultation, moving beyond traditional top-down planning approaches to incorporate diverse perspectives from Somalia’s fragmented health landscape. Methods: A qualitative multi-stakeholder roundtable was conducted in Mogadishu with 30 purposively sampled participants representing federal and state ministries, universities, public and private providers, non-governmental organizations, and civil society. Ethical approval was waived, and informed consent was obtained. Audio-recorded discussions were transcribed, translated, and analyzed thematically according to the four NTP health domains. Results: Thematic analysis identified four critical priorities. Participants emphasized that primary health care expansion should prioritize female community health workers and rural facility rehabilitation to increase service coverage beyond the current 25%. Participants emphasized that health workforce constraints, with only 0.11 clinicians per 1000 population, require regional training hubs and rural deployment incentives. Participants emphasized that regulation and governance through the newly established National Health Professionals Council need sustainable funding and federal-state accountability frameworks. Participants emphasized that public-private partnerships and digital health integration could leverage telemedicine and private sector capacity for underserved areas. Conclusion: The roundtable produced actionable strategies linking community-centered primary care, workforce development, regulatory strengthening, and technology-enabled partnerships. However, implementation faces significant constraints, including limited domestic financing, weak governance coordination, and ongoing fragility. Success will require sustained political commitment and innovative approaches adapted to Somalia’s unique post-conflict context.