Dengue Fever (DF) is an important arthropod-borne viral infection that has repeatedly occurred as outbreaks in eastern and northeastern Ethiopia since 2013. A cross-sectional epidemiological outbreak investigation was carried out from September to November 2019 on febrile patients (confirmed malaria negative) who presented with suspected and confirmed DF at both public and private health facilities in Gewane District, Afar Region, northeastern Ethiopia. Entomological investigation of containers found in randomly selected houses belonging to DF-positive patients was undertaken to survey for the presence of Aedes larvae/pupae. A total of 1185 DF cases were recorded from six health facilities during the 3-month study period. The mean age of DF cases was 27.2 years, and 42.7% of cases were female. The most affected age group was 15–49 years old (78.98%). The total case proportions differed significantly across age groups when compared to the population distribution; there were approximately 15% and 5% higher case proportions among those aged 15–49 years and 49+ years, respectively. A total of 162 artificial containers were inspected from 62 houses, with 49.4% found positive for Aedes aegypti larva/pupae. Aedes mosquitoes were most commonly observed breeding in plastic tanks, tires, and plastic or metal buckets/bowls. World Health Organization entomological indices classified the study site as high risk for dengue virus outbreaks (House Index = 45.2%, Container Index = 49.4%, and Breteau Index = 129). Time series climate data, specifically rainfall, were found to be significantly predictive of AR (p = 0.035). Study findings highlight the importance of vector control to prevent future DF outbreaks in the region. The scarcity of drinking water and microclimatic conditions may have also contributed to the occurrence of this outbreak.

Anxiety, depression, and unexplained physical symptoms are some of the distress states that commonly emerge as common mental disorders that are seen in primary care and community settings. The problem worsens regarding migrant individuals, especially when they are illegal in their existence. This problem has been observed in accordance with Ethiopian Middle East migrants as the majority of them move to the Gulf countries without the legal consent of the nation and the government of Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors of common mental disorders among Ethiopian migrant returnees from the Middle East. A cross-sectional study design was used with both qualitative and quantitative data using 368 randomly selected samples of the returned migrants. The coded data was checked, cleaned, and entered into Epi Data and then exported into SPSS for analysis. Frequency, percent, figures, and tables were used to present the results of this study. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the associated factors. Besides, a Focused Group Discussion was held to identify factors which make the returnees suffer from the common mental illness. The prevalence of common mental disorders in this study was 72.6%. The study participants displayed the following common mental illness symptoms: headache, poor sleep, being easily frightened, and being worried. The prevalence of common mental disorders in this population of migrant returnees from different Middle East countries to Ethiopia was high compared to other study findings. Factors that were significantly related to common mental illness were occupational status, having a physical or medical illness, having a history of torture, and having a history of kidnapping. These factors were significantly related to common mental illness. The health office in Addis Ababa should raise public awareness about common mental illnesses and their consequences for the community.

Dengue Fever (DF) is an important arthropod-borne viral infection, which has repeatedly oc-curred as outbreaks in eastern and northeastern Ethiopia since 2013. A cross-sectional epidemio-logical outbreak investigation was carried out from September - November 2019 on febrile pa-tients (confirmed malaria negative) who presented with suspected and confirmed DF at both public and private health facilities in Gewane District, Afar Region, northeastern Ethiopia. Ento-mological investigation of containers found in randomly selected houses belonging to DF positive patients was undertaken, to survey for the presence of Aedes larvae or pupae. A total of 1185 DF cases was recorded from six heath facilities during the 3-month study period. The mean age of DF cases was 27.2 years and 42.7% of the cases were female. The most affected age group was 15-49 years (78.98%). However, the attack rate (AR) was highest in the 49+ age group (134.2). A total of 162 artificial containers were inspected from 62 houses, with 49.4% found positive for Aedes larva/pupae. Aedes mosquitoes were mostly found breeding in buckets/bowls, clay jars, plastic tanks, and tires. World Health Organization entomological indices classified the study site as high risk for dengue outbreaks (House Index=45.2%, Container Index=49.4% and Breteau In-dex=129). Study findings highlight the importance of vector control to prevent future dengue out-breaks in the region. The scarcity of drinking water and changing climactic conditions may have also contributed to the occurrence of this outbreak.