Haramaya University

Depletion of soil organic matter was found to be the primary biophysical factor causing declining per capita food production in sub-Saharan Africa. The magnitude of this problem was exacerbated by moisture-stress and imbalanced fertilizer application that caused Striga weed infestation. To address such confounded issues, two-year field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of residual vermicompost and preceding groundnut on soil fertility, sorghum yield, and Striga density. The first-year treatments contained two sowing methods (single and intercropped sorghum), two seedbed types (open-furrow and tied-ridge), and four vermicompost rates (0, 1.5, 3.0, and 4.5 t/ha) combined factorially in a randomized block design. In the second-year experiment, only monocropped sorghum with seedbed types was sown exactly on the same plot as the previous year’s treatment combinations without fertilizer. The results disclosed that residual vermicompost at 4.5 t/ha in intercropped sorghum/groundnut significantly reduced soil pH (0.76%), bulk density (8.61%), electrical conductivity (38.78%), and Striga density (85.71%). In contrast, compared to unamended soil, the aforementioned treatment combined with tied-ridging increased soil moisture, organic matter, and sorghum yield by 16.67, 2.34, and 58%, respectively. Moreover, this treatment combination markedly increased post-harvest soil organic carbon (7.69%), total N (0.247%), available P (38.46%), exchangeable-Fe (27%), and exchangeable-Zn (40%) in the second year over control. Treatments previously amended with 4.5 t/ha of vermicompost under the sorghum-groundnut intercrop system resulted in the highest total N (0.242%) and available P (9.822 mg/Kg). Thus, the vermicompost and groundnut successfully improve soil fertility and sorghum yield for two cropping seasons.

Field pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important cool-season food legume crop used for various diets owing to its high source of protein. However, productivity of field pea is affected by gall disease (Physoderma viciae) in the highlands of Ethiopia. A field survey was conducted to determine the distribution, intensity and relative importance of gall disease on field pea and to assess the associations of gall disease epidemic with farming practices, physical and biological factors in northwestern Ethiopia, during the 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons. Disease assessment was made across a total of 104 field pea farms in seven districts of three zones. Weather data of each district were obtained from meteorological stations and used for descriptive analysis. Ordinal logistic regression was used to analyse the associations of gall disease intensity in field pea with farming practices, physical and biological factors. The highest gall disease incidence (39.56%) and severity (24.99%) were assessed in field pea in South Gondar. The severity of gall disease in field pea was the highest in Lay Gayint (36.90%), followed by Tach Gayint (34.86%) and Sekela (15.58%) districts. Predictor variables, such as zone, year, growth stage, sowing date, weed management and altitude were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with disease incidence and severity. Lower disease incidence and severity had a strong association with good weed management, May and July planting, altitude of < 2800 m, mixed cropping and fungicide foliar spray and, thus, such variables should be considered as management strategies in field pea production areas.

Head injuries pose a major global health issue, especially among young adults in developing countries. Data on head trauma patterns in conflict situations is scarce, and computed tomography (CT) is the main imaging method for evaluating acute head injuries. This study aimed to assess the CT scan patterns of traumatic head injury among northern Ethiopian victims of war who were treated at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital during the armed conflict in 2020 and 2021. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 76 cases of traumatic head injury who underwent CT scans from November 1, 2020, to January 30, 2021, at the Department of Radiology. Data regarding age, sex, mechanism of injury, and CT scan findings were collected and analyzed. A total of 76 patients were assessed, with 73 (96.1%) being males and a male-to-female ratio of 24:1. Ages ranged from 19 to 48 years, with the most affected group being ≤ 29 years (44 or 57.9%). Common head injury mechanisms included bullets (50%), blunt trauma (26%), and blasts (21%). Abnormal CT findings were noted in 60 cases (78.95%), with the most common findings being skull fractures (64.5%), cerebral contusions (33%), and metallic foreign bodies (36%). Scalp and brain hematoma, presence of soft tissue foreign body, pneumocephalus, and subfalcine herniation exhibited a statistically significant correlation with bullet injuries (p-value < 0.05). This study found a high rate of abnormal CT scans mainly involving young males as the primary victims of traumatic head injuries in war-affected areas of Northern Ethiopia. The leading causes were bullet injuries, with common CT scan findings including skull fractures and cerebral contusions, many requiring immediate intervention. The high rate of abnormal CT scans in these patients underscores the need to improve access to CT scans in conflict-affected areas.

The study aims to measure technical efficiency, identify factors influencing participation decisions in Small-scale Irrigation (SSI), and its effect on potato farmers' technical efficiency and household income in the Lemu Bilbilo district, Arsi zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia. The study employed a multistage sampling procedure to select a total of 371 households from the Lemu Bilbilo district. Descriptive statistics and econometrics models (stochastic frontier model and endog-enous switching regression model) were employed to achieve research objectives. The findings of the stochastic frontier model (SFA) show that potato output was positively and significantly influenced by input variables seed, land, labor, and Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulfur fertilizer. The findings of the probit model show that participation in SSI was positively affected by education, total livestock owned, farm size, extension contact, and cooperative membership whereas age of household, market distance, and irrigation water distance influenced participation in SSI negatively. Finally, the endog-enous switching regression model result showed that if irrigators had decided not to irrigate, their average income and technical efficiency would have decreased by 19617.97 ETB and 0.16%, respectively. The differences were statistically significant at 1% probability level. On the contrary, if non-irrigators had decided to irrigate, their average income would have increased by 8240.41 ETB, and their technical efficiency would have increased by 0.06%. These differences were found to be statistically significant at 1% significance level. The study recommends that policymakers and development organizations should consider small-scale irrigation as a key strategy for increasing smallholder farmers' technical efficiency and household income. In addition, the study calls for government and institutional support in education, training, extension services, infrastructure (especially market access), and cooperatives.

This study investigates the impact of alloying elements, grain size, particle size, and spark plasma sintering (SPS) on the maximum permeability of iron-nickel nanocrystalline powders. The results show that increasing nickel content generally decreases permeability, except in the case of 50wt% Ni–Fe powder mixtures, where particle size effects dominate. Permeability is found to be grain size-dependent, with a critical grain size range of 20–30 nm, below which single-domain grains form, leading to increased permeability. However, permeability decreases with decreasing particle size, exhibiting a stepped pattern likely due to surface defects. Notably, the 40wt% Ni–Fe SPS sample exhibits a high permeability value of 6.2 × 10^-3 emu/Oe after 32 h of milling, with optimal grain sizes ranging from 425 to 475 nm for 40 and 75wt% Ni–Fe SPS alloys. Article Highlights:Nickel content generally decreases permeability, except in specific Ni–Fe mixtures with dominating particle size effects. Grain size below 30 nm boosts permeability due to the formation of single-domain grains. Optimizing grain size and sintering can significantly enhance the magnetic performance of Ni–Fe alloys.

Background Antibiotic self-medication (ASM) is when a person takes antibiotics without a prescription or consulting a healthcare professional. These practices contribute to the misuse of medicines and antibiotic resistance which is a growing global health threat that can lead to longer hospital stays, higher healthcare costs, and increased mortality rates. Though various studies have been conducted on ASM in different countries, there has not yet been a systematic review that comprehensively assesses the problem in the entire globe. Hence, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the global pooled prevalence of antibiotic self-medication and the reasons for its practice. Method A systematic search of electronic registers and databases was conducted on PubMed, Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and gray literature including institutional repositories, and national health databases. It used carefully selected keywords and indexing terms in the past ten years. The Joanna Briggs Institute’s critical checklist extracted relevant data after appraisal. Narrative analysis was used for descriptive data while Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) Software was used to analyze quantitative data. Statistics were used to look for heterogeneity, publication bias, and correlations. Sensitivity tests and sub-group analysis were employed to compare outcomes. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant in all cases. Results Seventy-one studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The total number of participants was 63,251 with sample sizes ranging from 110 to 15,526. In primary outcomes, ASM ranged from 0.65 to 92.2%. The pooled prevalence of ASM globally was 43.0% (95% CI: 38.0, 48.1%). A high degree of heterogeneity across studies was shown with I² = 99.2%, p < 0.001 assuming a random effect model. In subgroup analysis, the highest ASM pooled prevalence was 55.2% (95% CI: 47.2, 63.2) in sub-Saharan Africa followed by the Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia at 48.3% (95% CI: 38.3, 58.4), Europe at 34.7% (95% CI:18.0, 56.4), and Asia at 25.8% (95% CI: 18.6, 34.6). Students have been identified as the major users of ASM at 62.1% (95% CI: 53.7, 69.7). The meta-regression showed a coefficient of 0.0365, -0.0117, and -0.0001 for a year of publication, recall time, and total sample size, respectively. Publication bias was demonstrated from the asymmetrical distribution of the funnel plot, and the Eggers regression p-value was greater than 0.05 (0.264). Moreover, knowledge of antibiotics (46.19% (95% CI: 27.99, 65.46)), previous successful experiences (39.13% (95% CI: 30.13, 48.93)), and perceiving illness as minor (38.10% (95% CI: 27.19, 50.37)) were the top three reasons pooled proportion for practicing ASM. Conclusion ASM practice was higher among African and student users. The previous successful experience was the most frequent reason reported. Educational level, gender, and age were often mentioned as predictor factors. Hence, designing interventional approaches that consider the different burdens among the target population and tackle the reasons for the practices might benefit averting antimicrobial resistance.

Background The genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum provides the parasite with many effective immune evasion and drug resistance mechanisms. This phenomenon is a major problem in eradicating malaria globally. This study aimed to assess merozoite surface protein 2 polymorphisms in P. falciparum isolates from Northwest Ethiopia. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess merozoite surface protein 2 polymorphisms in P. falciparum isolates from selected malarious areas in Northwest Ethiopia from April to June 2021. A convenience sampling technique was used to select 150 study participants. A finger prick blood sample was collected to prepare blood films and dried blood spots for molecular genotyping. The merozoite surface protein 2 allele frequency and multiplicity of infection were computed. Linear regression was employed to evaluate the associations between the multiplicity of infection, parasite density, and age by calculating Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients. A P value < 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Result Polymorphism analysis was performed on 126 P. falciparum isolates. There were 38 different merozoite surface protein 2 alleles, 20 of which corresponded to the IC/3D7 allelic family and 18 to the FC27 allelic family. Most patients contained multiple infections, and the mean multiplicity of infection was 3.46. There was no statistically significant difference in the multiplicity of infection in relation to the age of patients (P = 0.646). However, a statistically significant correlation was found between parasite density and the multiplicity of infection (P = 0.046). The heterozygosity index for merozoite surface protein 2 was 0.948. Conclusion This study showed that P. falciparum isolates contain multiple genotypes with a high multiplicity of infections and mixed strain infection, suggesting extensive genetic diversity and a high level of malaria transmission. This genetic variability could complicate malaria treatment and control efforts, as it can facilitate the emergence and spread of drug-resistant strains. Consequently, the findings highlight the complex malaria epidemiology in the region and emphasize the need for intensified efforts to control malaria transmission and prevent the probable emergence of drug resistance alleles in the study area.

Sorghum is the main staple crop grown for food and feed in eastern Ethiopia. However, in the majorities of sorghum- producing areas of this area the parasitic weed, Striga hermonthica is the main bottleneck in reducing the productivity of the crop. Hence, in 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons field experiments were conducted in Fedis district, eastern Ethiopia to assess the interaction effects of common bean intercropping and blended NPS fertilizer on severity reduction of the weed and productivity of the crop. The treatment combinations consisted of four levels of NPS blended fertilizer (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg ha-1 NPS) in a factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design with three replications, using susceptible sorghum variety (Teshale) and common bean variety (Dursitu), with planting densities of (25%, 50%, and 75%). Results from the analysis of variance indicated that treatment interactions on Striga infestation caused highly significant (p < 0.001) changes. The combination of 50% common bean and 100 kg ha-1 NPS blended fertilizer application resulted in the lowest Striga count (2 Striga shoots) per plot, whereas the single planted susceptible sorghum variety (Teshale) produced the highest Striga count (8 Striga shoots) per plot. The main findings of this study consequently indicated that the host crop (sorghum) was supported by a 60% reduction in Striga hermonthica severity level when NPS fertilizer and common bean were combined. The combination of 50% common bean planting density and 100 kg NPS ha⁻¹ blended fertilizer application yielded the maximum (2.54 t ha⁻¹) grain yield of sorghum, while the control plot produced the lowest (0.98 t ha-1) grain yield. Hence, farmers in the study area could manage Striga and improve sorghum productivity through the combination of common bean with NPS blended fertilizer under natural Striga infestation.

Remotely sensed data fused with data-driven technologies prove crucial for determining lake evaporation and effectively regulating reservoirs in areas with inadequate information. This study evaluates how well solar radiation (Ra) and temperature data from reanalysis/ satellite measurements perform to anticipate lake evaporation on a daily and seasonal basis. The approach evaluates the effectiveness of five Machine Learning algorithms under three input scenarios at three meteorological stations in the Awash basin, Ethiopia: Gradient Boosting (GB), Random forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and multilayer perceptron (MLP). XGBoost performs exceptionally well on the training set in each of the three scenarios. GB and MLP performs well throughout the test set for all three input scenarios. Subsequently, when employing models in the Metehara, Melkasa, and Dubti stations, IS1 is the best scenario for RMSE, NSE, and KGE. Consequently, the model predicts encouraging outcomes for each location over the Tseday and Kiremit seasons. The outcomes of the study suggest that identifying the best representative satellite/reanalysis data of temperature and solar radiation for particular areas can lead to effective performance. This investigation provides insight for simulating a reservoir's existing operating system.

Introduction Acute coronary syndrome refers to a group of diseases characterized by sudden, decreased blood supply to the heart muscle that results in cell death, also known as acute myocardial infarction. This results in severe chest pain or discomfort, with the subsequent release of cardiac biomarkers, and alterations in the electrocardiogram. It can cause diminished heart function and mortality if not treated properly with suitable measures. Despite the fact that percutaneous coronary intervention is the standard of care in one subset of acute coronary syndrome, significant number of patients were treated medically due to the limited service in the setting. The purpose of this study was to look at the patterns of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), as well as the management and outcomes of these patients in two Ethiopian tertiary institutions. Methods A four-year retrospective study was undertaken on 308 patients with acute coronary syndrome, at two tertiary hospitals located in Ethiopia's capital-Addis Ababa. Results and Discussion Of the 308 patients 72.4% were male, with the average age of 56.3 ± 13.5 years. Hypertension and diabetes were the two most common risk factors identified. The average time to present to the emergency room after symptom onset was 3.7 (SD ± 3.2) days. The majority of patients (67.9%) have been diagnosed with ST- Elevated Myocardial Infarction and were classified as Killip class I. Percutaneous Coronary Intervention was performed for 12.3% of patients, with the remaining receiving medical care. The average hospital stay was 8.51 (SD ± 7.2) days while In-hospital mortality was 8.8%. Tachycardia of >140 (AOR = 7.50, 95% CI: 1.36, 41.57), any degree of left ventricular dysfunction, Killip class IV (AOR = 6.03, 95% CI: 1.27, 28.61), and non-initiation of betablockers (AOR = 0.17,95% CI: 0.05, 0.63) were significantly associated with increased in-hospital mortality.

Background Currently, small-scale industries pose significant risks for occupational injuries, particularly in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Despite this problem, there is limited evidence on the prevalence of occupation-related injuries in small-scale industries that can be utilized for proposing interventions. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence of occupational injuries and associated factors among small-scale industry workers in Harar town, Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study employing a quantitative analysis was conducted in Harare town, Eastern Ethiopia, from March 12, 2023, to June 1, 2023. The source of population was all small-scale industry workers in Harar town, while the study population was workers working in selected small-scale industries. The sample size was determined based on the previous study finding reported 35.98% prevalence of occupational injuries. A simple random sampling method was employed to select the study participant, resulting in the inclusion of 639 participants in the study. Data were collected using pretested questionnaires and observational checklists, covering sociodemographic, occupational injuries, occupational health and safety practices, work environment, and behavioral related factors. The data were analyzed via SPSS version 22, and a p value of <0.05 was considered the cut-off point for statistical significance in multivariate analysis. Results Out of the 639 small-scale industry workers included in the current study, 634 provided a response, resulting in a 99.2% response rate. Among these workers, 417 workers (65.8%) reported exposure to occupational injuries at least once in their careers, of which 223 (35.2%) were exposed to injuries in the last 12 months. The most commonly injured body parts were the hands (34.11%), legs (29.13%), and fingers (26.69%). The study found a significant associations between occupational injuries and type of industry (AOR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.07, 5.46), educational status (AOR: 2.49, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.83), training (AOR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.35, 3.22), working space (AOR: 4.6, 95% CI: 2.62, 7.51), and workload (AOR: 2.88, 95% CI: 2.78, 11.64). Conclusion More than six out of 10 workers experienced injuries during their careers, with more than one-third being injured in the last 12 months. Workers with lower educational status, have no training, working in poor working conditions, and with higher workloads are at high risk of exposure. This highlights the need for improving occupational health and safety practices, including tailored training and supportive supervision to reduce injury in small-scale industries. Originality/value The findings from this study will be important for concerned bodies aiming to improve the occupational health and safety practices in small-scale industries and enhance the safe practices by addressing the safety culture in the working environment and policy making process.

The main constraints to potato productivity in the study area are low soil fertility and insufficient research-based guidance on the use of blended NPSB fertilizer across various potato varieties. Therefore, the experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of varying rates of combined fertilizer on the yield components and traits associated with tuber yield in different potato varieties and computes the cost-benefit ratio of NPSB fertilizer rates for potato production in Walmara District. The study involved six (0, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 kgha−1) NPSB fertilizer levels combined with three potato varieties, arranged in a factorial design with a randomized complete block setup, and each treatment was replicated three times. The outcomes indicated that, except for stem number, the interaction between NPSB fertilizer and potato varieties had a significant impact on all the tested parameters of potatoes. Belete variety resulted in a higher marketable tuber yield (279.48%) and yields of total tuber (223.23%) in 250 NPSB kg ha−1 fertilization than without NPSB fertilizer. Based on partial budget analysis, the highest 254, 741 net benefits of Birr per ha with a 7684.2% return of marginal rate were observed from the Belete variety with the application of 250 kg ha−1NPSB. Additionally, the Gudane variety with 300 kg ha−1 NPSB fertilization had the highest net benefit with a reasonable marginal rate of return (2780%). Therefore, the tentative recommendation of this research was made toward the Belete variety with 250 kg ha−1 NPSB and as a second option Gudane variety with 300 NPSB ha−1 kg fertilization.

CITATION Nure ME, Weldegebreal F, Tebeje F, Sime A and Regassa LD (2025) Prevalence and associated factors of recent HIV-1 infection among newly identified HIV-positive individuals tested with the Asante Rapid Recency assay in Harari region, Eastern Ethiopia. Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the immune system. Globally, more than 79.3 million people have been infected with it, and about 36.3 million people have died since the beginning of the epidemic. Ethiopia is one of the major affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with a huge number of people living with HIV. The identification of recent HIV-1 infections plays a crucial role in guiding prevention and control interventions. Moreover, data on the prevalence and factors associated with recent HIV-1 infection among cases tested by the Asante Rapid Recency Assay at health facilities in the Harari region has been inadequate. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of recent HIV-1 infection among newly identified HIV-positive individuals tested with the Asante Rapid Recency Assay in Health Facilities of Harari Region, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study was employed using HIV-1 diagnoses data from April 15-20, 2024 with 580 study participants. The data were extracted based on the standardized HIV Case-Based Surveillance report form, as outlined by the Ethiopian Public Health Institute. Data extracted from Redcap were checked and cleared for completeness then entered and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science software version 27. Bivariate and multivariable regression analyses were carried out to examine the associations between dependent and independent variables. A P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The overall prevalence of recent HIV infection was 9.1% (95% CI: 7.0%, 11.8%). The highest proportion of recent HIV infections was in the year 2019 [9 (22.5%)]. The study also found that no formal education (AOR = 18.424, 95% CI = 1.468-231.2), primary educational level (AOR = 22.1, 95% CI = 1.91-256.1, P = 0.013), no formal education (AOR = 18.424, 95% CI = 1.468-231.2, P = 0.028), having sex in the last 12 months (AOR = 5.508, 95% CI = 2.167-15.7, P = <.001), having sex with known/suspected HIV positive (AOR = 4.35, 95% CI = 1.455-13.04, P = 0.009) and Illicit drug use (AOR = 57.8, 95% CI = 16.19-207.5, P = <.001) had higher likelihood of having recent HIV infection. TYPE Original Research PUBLISHED Frontiers in Epidemiology 01 frontiersin.org Conclusion: This study found a 9.1% proportion of recent HIV infections, indicating significant ongoing HIV transmission within the community. The study also revealed multiple risk factors for recent HIV infection, including lower educational levels, recent sexual activity, sex with high-risk partners, and drug use. This study emphasizes the significance of improving targeted HIV preventive programs.

Background Foodborne disease is a great concern to low- and middle-income countries. To prevent illness and death, intervention strategies need to be implemented across the food safety system and should include promoting the adoption of safe food handling practices. The positive association between education and health has been well-established, and one possible mechanism is that education may improve health by encouraging individuals to adopt more appropriate protective practices. Decisions regarding adoption of these practices may also be influenced by the food safety risks individuals face, the trade-offs they make to maximize utility, or behavior biases which may be correlated with education. This study aims to estimate the heterogeneous association between education and the adoption of safe food handling practices among people facing different levels of food safety risk. Methods Models were constructed based on the Grossman health model and risk as well as behavior bias theories. Multivariate logistic regression models were estimated to explore the heterogeneous associations using data from a community survey conducted in Ethiopia. Agricultural household status and livestock presence were used as proxies to represent varying risk levels. Average marginal effects were estimated to provide a more accessible interpretation of the results. Results Results showed that the association between education and certain safe food handling practices was positive among individuals in households assumed to face higher food safety risks, while the association was less pronounced (or even negative) for those facing lower levels of risk. We observed that secondary education attainment was associated with a 20 percentage points increase (p < 0.01) in the probability of washing hands compared to the reference group (illiterate) in agricultural households. However, for non-agricultural households, secondary education was associated with a 10 percentage points decrease (p < 0.05) in probability. Similar patterns were found for washing surface. Conclusions Education is associated with increased adoption of safe food handling practices among individuals facing higher food safety risks. This has important implications for developing targeted policies focused on individuals most susceptible to foodborne diseases. Future policies aimed at increasing the adoption of safe food handling practices should also integrate individuals' decision-making processes and behavior biases in the context of varying risk levels.

The African continent has some of the world’s lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates. While the limited availability of vaccines is a contributing factor, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare providers (HCP) is another factor that could adversely affect efforts to control infections on the continent. We sought to understand the extent of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among HCP, and its contributing factors in Africa. We evaluated COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among 1,499 HCP enrolled in a cross-sectional study conducted as a telephone survey in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ghana between July to December of 2021. We defined COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among HCP as self-reported responses of definitely not, maybe, unsure, or undecided on whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to definitely getting the vaccine. We used log-binomial or modified Poisson regression models to evaluate factors influencing vaccine hesitancy among HCP. Approximately 65.6% of the HCP interviewed were nurses and the mean age (±SD) of participants was 35.8 (±9.7) years. At least 67% of the HCP reported being vaccinated. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy affected 45.7% of the HCP in Burkina Faso, 25.7% in Tanzania, 9.8% in Ethiopia, 9% in Ghana and 8.1% in Nigeria. Among unvaccinated HCP reasons for low vaccine uptake included concern about vaccine effectiveness, side effects, and fear of receiving experimental and unsafe vaccines. HCP reporting that COVID-19 vaccines are very effective (RR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.55), and older HCP (45 or older vs.20–29 years, RR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.44, 0.95) were less likely to be vaccine-hesitant. Nurses were more likely to be vaccine-hesitant (RR 1.38, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.89) than doctors. Information asymmetry among HCP, beliefs about vaccine effectiveness, and the endorsement of vaccines by public health institutions may be important. Efforts to address hesitancy should consider information and knowledge gaps among different cadres of HCP alongside efforts to increase vaccine supply.

Objective: To determine the impacts of climate variability on foodborne diarrhoeal disease worldwide. Methods: This work was performed based on PRISMA guideline. Articles were retrieved from the PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, DOAJ, and Google Scholar. The search was made using Boolean logic operators, medical subject headings, and main keywords related to foodborne diarrheal disease. STATA version 17 was used to perform an analysis. The quality of the articles was evaluated using Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tools. Results: The present study included 54 articles with an estimates of 103 findings. An increases in temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, rainfall, and flooding were associated with 4% [RR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.05], 3% [RR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.06], 2% [RR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.03], 1% [RR: 1.01; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.02], and 42% [RR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.26, 1.57] increases in foodborne diarrhoeal disease, respectively. Conclusion: There was a significant association between foodborne diarrhoeal disease and climate variability, and indicate the need for building a climate-resilient food safety system to reduce foodborne diarrheal disease. Systematic Review Registration: identifier CRD42024532430.

Background Obsessive–compulsive symptoms are mental health conditions marked by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions. Even though significant portion people with schizophrenia are reportedly affected by obsessive–compulsive symptoms, there is scarce of information related to this topic in Africa, and particularly in study area. Objective This study aimed to assess the magnitude and associated factors of obsessive‒compulsive symptoms among people with schizophrenia attending services at referral hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia from February 15 to March 15, 2024. Methods An institutional-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among adults with schizophrenia. Systematic sampling was used to select 422 study participants. The Yale-Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale was used to assess obsessive–compulsive symptoms. Data entry and analysis were performed by EpiData 4.6 and STATA 14, respectively. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression were performed, and variables with p values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results The proportion with obsessive‒compulsive symptoms in this study was 44.07% (95% CI, 39.33%-48.92%). After adjusting for possible confounders, duration of schizophrenia from 3–4 years (AOR = 3.41; 95% CI, 1.28–9.05), duration of schizophrenia 5 years and above (AOR = 6.08; 95% CI, 2.26–16.31), current use of alcohol (AOR = 2.12; 95% CI, 1.09–4.12), current use of khat (AOR = 6.09; 95% CI, 3.15–11.74), being a probable case of anxiety (AOR = 3.57; 95% CI, 1.95–6.53), being a probable case of depression (AOR = 4.56; 95% CI, 2.39–8.66), being on Risperidone (AOR = 5.08; 95% CI, 2.52–10.23) and being on Olanzapine (AOR = 5.95; 95% CI, 2.72–13.04) were significantly associated with obsessive‒compulsive symptoms. Conclusions and recommendation The prevalence of obsessive‒compulsive symptoms was relatively high. Timely detection and appropriate interventions are crucial and special consideration is better to be given for those with comorbid substance use, comorbid anxiety and depression, as well as those taking second-generation antipsychotics.

The main chemical, physical, and biological limitations on soil production in western Ethiopia include low soil fertility, nutrient unavailability, and acidity. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to evaluate how specific physico-chemical properties of soil were influenced by the combined application of vermicompost and NPS fertilizer rates at Bako Agricultural Research Center. Four vermicompost levels (0, 2.32, 3.48, and 4.64 tons ha−1) and four NPS fertilizer levels (0, 50, 75, and 100 kg ha−1) were combined in a factorial manner were laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The study's findings demonstrated that while bulk density decreased below the control due to different levels of organic fertilizer application, all treatments applied increased soil moisture and total porosity relative to the control or NPS fertilizer alone. The results showed that the combination of vermicompost and NPS fertilizer rates significantly affected organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen, basic cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+), and available phosphorous. Nevertheless, the experiment indicated the integration of organic and inorganic fertilizers to enhance nutrient availability by maintaining soil fertility and health because the pH of the soil was significantly influenced by the primary effects of vermicompost levels (P ≤ 0.01). Vermicompost and NPS fertilizers are highly useful in the amendment of soil fertility. Both play an important role in the supply of essential nutrients, improving the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil, and enhancing it for sustainable agriculture.