Background: Healthcare associated infection (HAI) is alarmingly increasing in low income settings. In Ethiopia, the burden of HAI is still not well described. Methods: Longitudinal study was conducted from May to September, 2016. All wards of Jimma University Medical Centre were included. The incidence, prevalence and risk factors of healthcare associated infection were determined. A total of 1015 admitted patients were followed throughout their hospital stay. Biological specimens were collected from all patients suspected to have hospital aquired infection. The specimens were processed by standard microbiological methods to isolate and identify bacteria etiology. Clinical and laboratory data were collected using structured case report formats. Results: The incidence rate of hospital acquired infection was 28.15 [95% C.I:24.40,32.30] per 1000 patient days while the overall prevalence was 19.41% (95% C.I: (16.97–21.85). The highest incidence of HAI was seen in intensive care unit [207.55 (95% C.I:133.40,309.1) per 1000 patient days] and the lowest incidence was reported from ophthalmology ward [0.98 (95% C.I: 0.05,4.90) per 1000patient days]. Among patients who underwent surgical procedure, the risk of HAI was found to be high in those with history of previous hospitalization (ARR = 1.65, 95% C.I:1.07, 2.54). On the other hand, young adults (18 to 30-year-old) had lower risk of developing HAI (ARR = 0.54 95% C.I: 0.32,0.93) Likewise, among non-surgical care groups, the risk of HAI was found to be high in patients with chest tube (ARR = 4.14, 95% C.I: 2.30,7.46), on mechanical ventilation (ARR = 1.99, 95% C.I: 1.06,3.74) and with underlying disease (ARR = 2.01, 95% C.I: 1.33,3.04). Furthermore, hospital aquired infection at the hosoital was associated with prolonged hospital stay [6.3 more days, 95% C.I: (5.16,7.48), t = 0.000] and increased in hospital mortality (AOR, 2.23, 95% CI:1.15,4.29). Conclusion: This study revealed high burden and poor discharge outcomes of healthcare associated infection at Jimma University Medical Centre. There is a difference in risk factors between patients with and without surgery. Hence, any effort to control the observed high burden of HAI at the hospital should consider these differences for better positive out put.

Background: The rates of resistant microorganisms which complicate the management of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are increasing worldwide and getting more serious in developing countries. The objective of this study was to describe microbiological features and resistance profiles of bacterial pathogens of HAIs in Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC) in Ethiopia. Methods: Institution based cross sectional study was carried out on hospitalized patients from May to September, 2016 in JUMC. Different clinical specimens were collected from patients who were suspected to hospital acquired infections. The specimens were processed to identify bacterial etiologies following standard microbiological methods. Antibacterial susceptibility was determined in vitro by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Results: Overall, 126 bacterial etiologies were isolated from 118 patients who had HAIs. Of these, 100 (79.4%) were gram negative and the remaining were gram positive. The most common isolates were Escherichia coli 31(24.6%), Klebsiella species 30(23.8%) and Staphylococcus aureus 26 (20.6%). Of 126 bacterial isolates, 38 (30.2%), 52 (41.3%), and 24 (19%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR, resistant to at least one agent in three or more antimicrobial categories), extensively drug resistant (XDR, resistant to at least one agent in all but two or fewer antimicrobial categories (i.e. bacterial isolates remain susceptible to only one or two categories), pan-drug resistant (PDR, resistant to all antibiotic classes) respectively. More than half of isolated gram-negative rods (51%) were positive for extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and/or AmpC; and 25% of gram negative isolates were also resistant to carbapenem antibiotics. Conclusions: The pattern of drug resistant bacteria in patients with healthcare associated infection at JUMC is alarming. This calls for coordinated efforts from all stakeholders to prevent HAIs and drug resistance in the study setting.

In Ethiopia, evidence on the national burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is limited. To address this gap, this systematic analysis estimated the burden of CVDs in Ethiopia using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study data. The age-standardized CVD prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and mortality rates in Ethiopia were 5534 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 5310.09 - 5774.0), 3549.6 (95% UI 3229.0 - 3911.9) and 182.63 (95% UI 165.49 - 203.9) per 100 000 population, respectively. Compared with 1990, the age-standardized CVD prevalence rate in 2017 showed no change. But significant reductions were observed in CVD mortality (54.7%), CVD DALYs (57.7%) and all-cause mortality (53.4%). The top three prevalent CVDs were ischaemic heart disease, rheumatic heart disease and stroke in descending order. The reduction in the mortality rate due to CVDs is slower than for communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional disease mortalities. As a result, CVDs are the leading cause of mortality in Ethiopia. These findings urge Ethiopia to consider CVDs as a priority public health problem.

Background: Ethiopia has set national targets for eliminating soil-transmitted helminths (STH) as public health problems by 2020 and for breaking their transmission by 2025 using periodic mass treatment of children in endemic areas. However, the status of STH infection among the adults living in the same communities remains unknown. The aim of this study, therefore, was to determine the prevalence and intensity of STH infections and associated factors among the household heads in the peri-urban areas of Jimma town, Oromia, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in five peri-urban kebeles (smallest administrative unit in Ethiopia) of Jimma town from May to July 2021. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic and predisposing factors. The Kato-Katz concentration technique was utilized to detect and quantify the STH in stool samples. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were done. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 376 household heads (19.9% women and 80.1% men) from peri-urban areas were included in the study. The overall STH prevalence was 18.1% (95% CI: 14.6–22.1) with A. lumbricoides being the predominant species (11.4%) followed by T. trichiura (7.2%) and hookworm (2.1%). Most of the STH positive household heads had single infections (85.3%) and light-intensity infections (88.5%). Wealth status (AOR = 2.7; 95% CI: 1.31–5.50, P = 0.007), hand washing habits before meals (AOR = 7.07; 95% CI: 1.79–27.88, p = 0.005), fingernails status (AOR = 2.99; 95% CI: 1.59–5.65, p = 0.001), and toilet facility type (AOR = 2.06; 95% CI: 1.13–3.76, p = 0.017) were found to have statistically significant associations with the STH infection. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed a nearly moderate level of STH prevalence among household heads in the peri-urban community. This could serve as an important reservoir for reinfection of the treated children and other at-risk groups in the community.

Introduction: Inappropriate antibiotic use is a major public health concern and driver of antibiotic resistance. Excessive exposure to antibiotics results in the emergence and spread of drug-resistant microorganisms. This study aimed to measure the volume of antibiotic consumption at the outpatient settings in a tertiary-care teaching hospital in Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken from February 01, 2019 to March 31, 2019 at Jimma Medical Center in southwest Ethiopia. Antibiotics use was analyzed using Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification and Defined Daily Dose (DDD) system. Antibiotic use was calculated as DDD per 100 outpatients per day. Antibiotics were classified based on World Health Organization “AWaRe” classification scheme as “Access”, “Watch” and “Reserve” group antibiotics and measured their consumption intensity. Results: A total of 496 adult patients were included in the study. The mean (SD) age of participants was 33.07 (14.05) years. The total amount of antibiotics consumed was 5.31 DDD/100 outpatients per day. Ciprofloxacin was the most commonly [122 (21.12%)] prescribed antibiotics with DDD/100 outpatients per day value of 1.13, followed by amoxicillin [68 (11.76%)] with DDD/100 outpatients per day value of 0.44, and azithromycin [61 (10.55%)] with DDD/100 outpatients per day value of 0.51. On antibiotic consumption index, antibiotics in the “Watch” group had 2.10 DDD/100 outpatients per day. Conclusion: There was high consumption of antibiotics in the study setting. Based on the use control criteria, half of the antibiotics used were in the “Watch” group. The high level of consumptions of antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and azithromycin, in particular, requires further scrutiny and calls for an urgent implementation of an antibiotic stewardship program at the hospital.

Background: Mortality caused by injuries is increasing and becoming a significant global public health concern. Limited evidence from Ethiopia on road traffic, unintentional and intentional injuries indicate the potential public health impact of problems resulting from such injuries. However, there is a significant evidence gap about the actual national burden of all injuries in Ethiopia. This data base study aimed to reveal the national burden of different injuries in Ethiopia. Methodology: Data for this study were extracted from the estimates of the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) 2017 study. Estimates of metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), death rates, incidence, and prevalence were extracted. The metrics were then examined at different injury types, socio-demographic categories such as age groups and sex. Trends of the metrics were also explored for these categories across years from 2007 to 2017. The DALYs and deaths due to injuries in Ethiopia were also compared with other East African countries (specifically Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) in order to evaluate regional differences across years, by sex and by different injury types such as transport injuries, unintentional injuries, self-harm and interpersonal violence. Results: The age-standardized injury death rate has decreased to 69.4; 95% UI: (63.0–76.9) from 90.11; 95% UI: (82.41–97.73) in 2017 as compared with 2007. Road injury, falls, self-harm and interpersonal violence were the leading causes of mortality from injuries occurring in 2017. The age-standardized injury DALYs rate has decreased to 3328.2; 95% UI: (2981.7-3707.8) from 4265.55; 95% UI: (3898.11–4673.64) in 2017 as compared with 2007. The number of deaths resulting from injuries in 2017 was highest for males, children under 5 years, people aged 15–24. Conclusion: The current age-standardized death rate and DALYs from injuries is high and the observed annual reduction is not satisfactory. There is a difference in gender and age regarding the number of deaths resulting from injuries. The data indicates that the current national efforts to address the public health impact of injuries in Ethiopia are not sufficient enough to bring a marked reduction. As a result, a more holistic approach to address all injuries is recommended in Ethiopia.