Background: Opportunistic infections (OIs) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). For better treatments and interventions, current and up-to-date information concerning occurrence of opportunistic infections in HIV-infected children is crucial. However, studies regarding the incidence of common opportunistic infections in HIV-infected children in Ethiopia are very limited. Hence, this study aimed to determine the incidence of opportunistic infections among HIV-infected children on antiretroviral therapy (ART) at Debre Markos Referral Hospital. Methods: A facility-based retrospective cohort study was undertaken at Debre Markos Referral Hospital for the period of January 1, 2005 to March 31, 2019. A total of 408 HIV-infected children receiving ART were included. Data from HIV-infected children charts were extracted using a data extraction form adapted from ART entry and follow-up forms. Data were entered using Epi-data™ Version 3.1 and analyzed using Stata™ Version 14. The Kaplan Meier survival curve was used to estimate the opportunistic infections free survival time. Both bi-variable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were fitted to identify the predictors of opportunistic infections. Results: This study included the records of 408 HIV-infected children-initiated ART between the periods of January 1, 2005 to March 31, 2019. The overall incidence rate of opportunistic infections during the follow-up time was 9.7 (95% CI: 8.13, 11.48) per 100 child-years of observation. Tuberculosis at 29.8% was the most commonly encountered OI at follow-up. Children presenting with advanced disease stage (III and IV) (AHR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2, 2.7), having “fair” or “poor” ART adherence (AHR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.8, 3.8), not taking OI prophylaxis (AHR:1.6, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.4), and CD4 count or % below the threshold (AHR:1.7, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.6) were at a higher risk of developing opportunistic infections. Conclusions: In this study, the incidence rate of opportunistic infections among HIV-infected children remained high. Concerning predictors, such as advanced disease stage (III and IV), CD4 count or % below the threshold, “fair” or “poor” ART adherence, and not taking past OI prophylaxis were found to be significantly associated with OIs.

Introduction. Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine or a biological substance intended to stimulate a recipient’s immune system to produce antibodies or undergo other changes that provide future protection against specific infectious diseases. Objective. To determine vaccination coverage and associated factors among children aged 12–23 months in Debre Markos town 2016. Methods. Community-based cross-sectional study was employed among 288 mothers/caretakers to child (12–23 months) pair. Study populations were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Structured interviewer administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Variables with P value of less than 0.05 in multivariate analysis were considered as statistically significant at 95% CI. Result. About 264 (91.7%) of children were completely vaccinated. Male birth 3.24 (1.16–9.04), wanted pregnancy 2.89 (1.17–7.17), having at least two ANC follow-ups 4.04 (1.35–12.06), and short distance from vaccination site 3.38 (1.29–8.86) were found positively associated with complete immunization. Conclusion and Recommendation. There was relatively high immunization coverage in the study. Child’s sex, ANC follow-up, type of pregnancy, and distance from health institution were factors associated with complete vaccination. Preventing unwanted pregnancy and promoting ANC and postnatal follow-up should be strengthened. Vaccination sites should also be further expanded.

Background. Needle stick and sharp injuries were one of the major risk factors for blood and body fluid borne infections at health care facilities. Objective. To assess occupational exposure to needle stick and sharp injuries and associated factors among health care workers in Awi zone, 2016. Methods. institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among 193 health care workers. Study participants were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Result. When queried, 18.7% of the respondents’ encountered needle stick and sharp injury in the last 1 year. Participants who practiced needle recapping and had job related stress were 21.3 and 7.3 times more likely to face needle stick and sharp injury, respectively. However, those who apply universal precautions and acquire the required skill were 99% and 96% times less likely to face needle stick and sharp injury, respectively, than their counterparts. Conclusion and Recommendation. The prevalence of needle stick and sharp injury was relatively low as compared to previous studies. Recapping of needle after use, job related stress, not applying universal precautions, and lack of the required skill were associated with needle stick and sharp injuries. Therefore, health care providers should apply universal precaution.

Background. Although pressure ulcer development is now generally considered as an indicator for quality of nursing care, questions and concerns about situations in which they are unavoidable remain. Awareness about the significance of the problem, positive attitude towards prevention, and an adequate level of knowledge are cornerstones to effectively prevent pressure ulcers. Objective. To assess nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceived barriers to expressed pressure ulcer prevention practice in Addis Ababa government hospitals. Methods and Materials. This is a cross-sectional study by design. A total of 217 eligible nurses participated in the study and data were collected through pretested self-administered questionnaire. Results. When queried, 61.2% of the respondents had adequate knowledge on pressure ulcer prevention practices, while 68.4% had favorable attitudes towards prevention practices. Moreover, 67.3% of participants had good pressure ulcer prevention practices. Conclusion and Recommendation. More than half of the nurses were found to have adequate knowledge about pressure ulcer prevention and their attitude towards it was overall favorable. Expressed pressure ulcer prevention practice was affected by the participant’s level of knowledge, attitude, and barriers of care. To provide effective prevention of pressure ulcer, nurses’ level of knowledge and attitude should be enhanced besides resolving these barriers.

Background: Occupational stress has been reported to affect job satisfaction among nurses, thus compromising nursing care and placing patients’ lives at risk. Nursing has been identified and reported by a number of studies as a stressful occupation. Occupational stress is a serious condition for nursing professionals that is directly associated with impaired and inappropriate performance and working within clinical settings. Objective: To assess the level of occupational stress and associated factors among nurses in East Gojjam Zone Public hospitals northwest Ethiopia 2016. Method: Institutional based cross-sectional study design was employed. Sampling method was simple random sampling and data were collected from March 8 to 23, 2016. Source population of the study were all nurses who work at public hospitals in East Gojjam zone public hospitals and sample size was 181 nurses from the four hospitals. After nurses were proportionally allocated to size from the four hospitals, data were collected through pretested self-administered structured questionnaire. Results: A total of 178 nurses were voluntarily agreed to participate in the study with a response rate of 98.3%. The study finding showed that 57.3% of nurses were occupationally stressful. Workload subscale was the most sources of stress followed by death and dying and uncertainty concerning treatment. Sex and work experience of respondents were significantly associated with occupational stress. All subscales of expanded nursing stress scale were positively correlated with over overall occupational stress. Conclusion: More than half of the nurses were occupationally stressful. Recommendation: The Amhara regional health bureau and study hospitals should develop stress reduction management programs.

Background: The introduction of highly active retroviral therapy has dramatically reduced mortality and improved survival among HIV patients. However, there is a possible risk of comorbid complications such as hypertension. Little evidence is available regarding the incidence of hypertension among HIV patients receiving anti-retroviral therapy in Ethiopia. Purpose: To assess the incidence and predictors of hypertension among HIV positive patients receiving ART at Public Health Facilities, Northwest Ethiopia. Patients and Methods: A one-year prospective follow-up study was conducted among a cohort of 302 new adult individuals initiating on a standard anti-retroviral therapy regimen with a median (IQR) age of 35 years (IQR=30– 41). A pretested data extraction checklist was used to extract baseline patient records. The collected data were entered into Epi-Data version 3.1 and exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. The incidence rate was calculated, and a Kaplan–Meier survival curve was used to estimate the survival probabilities of developing hypertension. Cox proportional hazards model was fitted to identify the predictors of hypertension. Results: About 40 (13.25) new hypertensive cases were observed during the follow-up period, and the remaining 262 (86.75%) were censored. The overall incidence rate of hypertension was 16.35 per 1000 person-month with 2447 patient-month observations. Male sex (AHR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.02, 6.14), old age (AHR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.08, 7.45), high BMI (AHR = 6.54, 95% CI: 2.03, 21.13), diabetic comorbidity (AHR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.07, 5.22), and patients who were on Zidovudine (AZT)-based ART regimen (AHR =3.47, 95% CI: 1.10, 10.94) were significant predictors for the development of hypertension. Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that incident hypertension is a common problem among HIV patients receiving ART. Routine monitoring of blood pressure and screening and treating high blood pressure should be an integral part of follow-up for HIV patients in ART clinics.