Background: Since malaria is one of the foremost public health problems in Ethiopia, assessment of situation of the disease, and communities’ knowledge and perceptions about malaria is necesary to institute appropriate preventive and control measures. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess malaria prevalence and knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) about the disease among ShewaRobit Town community, northeastern Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Shewa Robit Town from October to November 2011. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. A total of 425 individuals were examined for malaria using thin and thick Giemsa stained blood film, and 284 of the participants were interviewed to assess their KAP about malaria. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess predictor factors for malaria prevalence. Results: All respondents had ever heard of malaria. Most of the respondents (85.2%) attributed the cause of malaria to mosquito bite. However, some of the respondents (>20%) mentioned lack of personal hygiene, exposure to cold weather, hunger, chewing maize stalk, body contact with malaria patient and flies as the causes of malaria. Sleeping under mosquito nets, draining stagnant water and indoor residual spraying were the most frequently mentioned malaria preventive measures perceived and practiced by the respondents. Among 425 individuals examined for malaria, only 2.8% were positive for Plasmodium parasites. Living in houses made of wall without hole, sprayed with insecticide within the last 12 hours and located at a distance of greater than 500 meters from potential mosquito breeding sites as well as knowing and using of mosquito net were significant predictors of low malaria prevalence among the study participants. Conclusions: A high level of knowledge about the cause, transmission and preventive methods of malaria was detected among the community in Shewa Robit Town. However, a considerable proportion had misconception about the cause and transmission of malaria suggesting the necessity of health education to raise the community’s awareness about the disease.

Although depression and anxiety disorders are very common in people with epilepsy; there are no studies that assessed the magnitude and associated factors among epileptic people in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study determined prevalence and associated factors of depression and anxiety disorders in people with epilepsy. An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May, 2013, among 423 people with epilepsy from the outpatient department of Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess predictors of depression and anxiety. The prevalence of anxiety and depression among epileptic people were 33.5 and 32.8 %, respectively. Monthly income, frequency of seizure and side effects of anti convulsants were found to be significantly associated with both depression and anxiety. Being divorced/widowed was associated with anxiety while using poly-therapy of anti convulsants, perceived stigma, and inability to read or write were associated with depression. The prevalence of co-morbid anxiety and depression was found to be high among people with epilepsy. Early identification of co-morbid depression and anxiety in people with epilepsy and managing epilepsy to become seizure free should be of great concern for health care providers.

Depression is the most frequently and highly occurring mental disorders in epilepsy patients. When depression is comorbid with epilepsy, it leads to low employment and poor quality of life. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of depression among people living with epilepsy in Central Ethiopia. Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2015 at Amanuel Mental Specialized and TikurAnbesa Hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Samples of 422 epilepsy patients were selected, and data on depression were collected using validated questionnaire using face-to-face interview technique. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess predictors of depression. The study indicated that the prevalence of depression among people with epilepsy was 43.8%. Factors associated with depression were being female (AOR 2.48; 95% CI, 1.61.3.81), being single (AOR 2.23; 95% CI 1.38–3.60), perceived stigma (AOR 2.47; 95% CI 1.59–3.83), medication adherence (AOR 2.85; 95% CI 1.64–4.96), and current substance use (AOR 2.10; 95% CI 1.34–3.30). There is a high prevalence of depression among epilepsy patients. Early detection and prompt management of depressive symptoms are critically important in reducing depression burden among people living with epilepsy.

The stigmatization of mental illness is currently considered to be one of the most important issues facing caregivers of severely mentally ill individuals. There is a dearth of information about the prevalence and associated factors of perceived stigma among caregivers of people with severe mental illness in the study area. To assess the prevalence and associated factors of perceived stigma among non-professional caregivers of people with severe mental illness, Bahir Dar, northwest Ethiopia. Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June, 2016 at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital among 495 caregivers of people with the severe mental illness. Pre-tested structured family interview schedule questionnaire was used. Binary logistic regression was applied to identify factors associated with perceived stigma and interpreted using odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. Statistical significance was considered at p value < 0.05. The overall prevalence of perceived stigma was found to be 89.3%. Being female, rural residency, lack of social support, long duration of relationship with the patient and currently not married were found significantly associated with the perceived stigma of caregivers. Prevalence of perceived stigma is very high in the current study. Thus, stigma reduction program and expanding of strong social support should better be implemented by different stakeholders for caregivers of people with severe mental illness.

Khat is a well-known natural stimulant and is widely used in Ethiopia, particularly in Bahir Dar city. Khat chewing is linked with risky sexual behaviors. The study was aimed to determine the prevalence of chewing khat and its relation with risky sexual behaviors among residents of Bahir Dar City administration, Northwest Ethiopia. A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from January to February, 2016. The data were collected using an interviewer administered structured questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was applied to assess association between dependent and explanatory variables. The proportion of lifetime and current chewing khat among the study participants were 25.7 and 19.5%, respectively. Males (AOR 5.0; 95% CI 3.0–8.2) than females, merchants (AOR 4.9; 95% CI 2.6–9.3) than government employees, and those with average monthly income of ≥ 3001 Ethiopian birr (AOR 2.4; 95% CI 1.2–4.8) than ≤ 1000 had an increased current chewing khat prevalence. Having lifetime history of chewing khat was significantly associated with ever had sexual intercourse, having extra sexual partners, watching pornographic film and self-reported sexually transmitted infections. Chewing khat is associated with increment of having risky sexual behaviors and self-reported sexually transmitted infections. Harm reduction measures are needed to prevent the community from engaging in khat use and risky sexual behaviors.

Background: The increase in detections ofPlasmodium vivaxinfection in Duffy-negative individuals in Africa has challenged the dogma establishing the uniqueP. vivaxDuffy Binding Protein-Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (PvDBP-DARC) pathway used byP. vivaxmerozoites to invade reticulocytes. Information on the impact of Duffy antigen polymorphisms on the epidemiology ofP. vivaxmalaria remains elusive. The objective of this study was to determine the distribution of asexual parasitaemia ofP. vivaxaccording to the Duffy antigen polymorphisms in Ethiopia.Methods: DNA was extracted from dried blood spots (DBS) collected from prospectively recruited 138P.vivax-infected patients from health centres. The identification and estimation ofP. vivaxasexual parasitaemia were performed by microscopic examination and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Duffy genotyping was conducted by DNA sequencing in a total of 138P.vivaxinfected samples.Results: The proportion of Duffy-negatives (FY*B^ES/FY*B^ES) inP. vivaxinfected patients was 2.9% (4/138). Duffy genotype FY*B/FY*B^ES(48.6%) was the most common, followed by FY*A/FY*B^ESgenotype (25.4%). In one patient, the FY*02 W.01/FY*02 N.01 genotype conferring a weak expression of the Fy^bantigen was observed. AllP.vivaxinfected Duffy-negative patients showed low asexual parasitaemia (≤ 110 parasites/µL). The medianP. vivaxparasitaemia in Duffy-negative patients (53 parasites/µL) was significantly lower than those found in homozygous and heterozygous individuals (P < 0.0001).Conclusion: Plasmodium vivaxin Duffy-negative patients shows invariably low asexual parasitaemia. This finding suggests that the pathway used byP. vivaxto invade Duffy-negative reticulocytes is much less efficient than that used in Duffy-positives. Moreover, the low asexual parasitaemia observed in Duffy-negative individuals could constitute an ‘undetected silent reservoir', thus likely delaying the elimination of vivaxmalaria in Ethiopia.