Fisaha Haile Tesfay

• PhD in Public Health
• PostDoc Position at Deakin University

Background Universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities is an essential human right, recognised in the Sustainable Development Goals as crucial for preventing disease and improving human wellbeing. Comprehensive, high-resolution estimates are important to inform progress towards achieving this goal. We aimed to produce high-res...

Objectives This study aimed to map the national, regional and local prevalence of hypertension and diabetes in Ethiopia. Design and setting Nationwide cross-sectional survey in Ethiopia combined with georeferenced ecological level data from publicly available sources. Participants 9801 participants aged between 15 and 69 years. Primary outcome m...

Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing global health challenge disproportionately impacting low- and middle-income settings, including Ethiopia. Currently, the body of evidence describing the burden of NCDs is fragmented, inconsistent, health facility- or institution-based, and out-dated in Ethiopia. We conducted a systematic rev...

Background: Studies show widespread widening of socioeconomic and health inequalities. Comprehensive primary health care has a focus on equity and to enact this requires more data on drivers of the increase in inequities. Hence, we examined trends in the distribution of income, wealth, employment and health in Australia. Methods: We analysed dat...

Background: Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors are the leading contributors to morbidity and mortality globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries including Ethiopia. To date, there has been no synthesis of the literature on the relative prevalence of NCD risk factors in Ethiopia. Methodology: We conducted a s...

Background Previous Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) studies have reported national health estimates for Ethiopia. Substantial regional variations in socioeconomic status, population, demography, and access to health care within Ethiopia require comparable estimates at the subnational level. The GBD 2019 Ethiopia su...

Importance: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019 (GBD 2019) provided systematic estimates of incidence, morbidity, and mortality to inform local and international efforts toward reducing cancer burden. Objective: To estimate cancer burden and trends globally for 204 countries and territories and by Sociodemographic...

Objectives Although some studies have identified various challenges affecting nutritional programmes to effectively tackle undernutrition among people living with HIV, evidence about the characteristics and impacts of these programmes on weight-related nutritional outcomes varies based on country contexts, specific programme goals and the implement...

Background In estimating the global burden of cancer, adolescents and young adults with cancer are often overlooked, despite being a distinct subgroup with unique epidemiology, clinical care needs, and societal impact. Comprehensive estimates of the global cancer burden in adolescents and young adults (aged 15–39 years) are lacking. To address this...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health systems in both developed and developing nations alike. Africa has one of the weakest health systems globally, but there is limited evidence on how the region is prepared for, impacted by and responded to the pandemic. Methods We conducted a scoping review of PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL to search p...

The war in Tigray region of Ethiopia that started in November 2020 and is still ongoing has brought enormous damage to the health system. This analysis provides an assessment of the health system before and during the war. Evidence of damage was compiled from November 2020 to June 2021 from various reports by the interim government of Tigray, and a...

Global, regional, and national sex-specific burden and control of the HIV epidemic, 1990–2019, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 GBD 2019 HIV Collaborators * Show footnotesOpen AccessPublished:October, 2021DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(21)00152-1 Summary Background The sustainable development goa...

Background Tuberculosis is a major contributor to the global burden of disease, causing more than a million deaths annually. Given an emphasis on equity in access to diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in global health targets, evaluations of differences in tuberculosis burden by sex are crucial. We aimed to assess the levels and trends of the...

Background Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 has targeted elimination of preventable child mortality, reduction of neonatal death to less than 12 per 1000 livebirths, and reduction of death of children younger than 5 years to less than 25 per 1000 livebirths, for each country by 2030. To understand current rates, recent trends, and potential traject...

Background Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing global health challenge disproportionately impacting low- and middle-income settings, including Ethiopia. Currently, the body of evidence describing the burden of NCDs is fragmented, inconsistent, health facility- or institution-based, and out-dated in Ethiopia. We conducted a systematic revi...

Background In many resource-poor settings, nutritional counselling is one of the key components of nutrition support programmes aiming to improve nutritional and health outcomes amongst people living with HIV. Counselling methods, contents and recommendations that are culturally appropriate, locally tailored and economically affordable are essentia...

Background High-resolution estimates of HIV burden across space and time provide an important tool for tracking and monitoring the progress of prevention and control efforts and assist with improving the precision and efficiency of targeting efforts. We aimed to assess HIV incidence and HIV mortality for all second-level administrative units across...

Background COVID-19 has caused a global public health crisis affecting most countries, including Ethiopia, in various ways. This study maps the vulnerability to infection, case severity and likelihood of death from COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Methods Thirty-eight potential indicators of vulnerability to COVID-19 infection, case severity and likelihood o...

Objective The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive evidence on risk factors for transmission, disease severity and COVID-19 related deaths in Africa.Design A systematic review has been conducted to synthesise existing evidence on risk factors affecting COVID-19 outcomes across Africa.Data sources Data were systematically searched from M...

The relapse into undernutrition after nutritional recovery among those enrolled in a nutritional program is a common challenge of nutritional programs in HIV care settings, but there is little evidence on the determinants of the relapse. Nutritional programs in HIV care settings in many countries are not well designed to sustain the gains obtained...

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a public health priority in Latin America. While the burden of HIV is historically concentrated in urban areas and high-risk groups, subnational estimates that cover multiple countries and years are missing. This paucity is partially due to incomplete vital registration (VR) systems and statis...

Background Lymphatic filariasis is a neglected tropical disease that can cause permanent disability through disruption of the lymphatic system. This disease is caused by parasitic filarial worms that are transmitted by mosquitos. Mass drug administration (MDA) of antihelmintics is recommended by WHO to eliminate lymphatic filariasis as a public hea...

Background: In many resource-poor settings, nutritional counselling is one component of nutrition support programs aiming to improve nutritional and health outcomes amongst people living with HIV. Counselling methods, contents, and recommendations that are culturally appropriate, locally tailored, and economically affordable are essential to ensure...

Background Oral rehydration solution (ORS) is a form of oral rehydration therapy (ORT) for diarrhoea that has the potential to drastically reduce child mortality; yet, according to UNICEF estimates, less than half of children younger than 5 years with diarrhoea in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) received ORS in 2016. A variety of rec...

Oral rehydration solution (ORS) is a form of oral rehydration therapy (ORT) for diarrhoea that has the potential to drastically reduce child mortality; yet, according to UNICEF estimates, less than half of children younger than 5 years with diarrhoea in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) received ORS in 2016. A variety of recommended ho...

Background: In Ethiopia, stigmatising attitudes towards people living with HIV have reduced over time. This is mainly due to improved HIV knowledge and the expansion of access to HIV care and support services. However, HIV stigma and discrimination remain a key challenge and have negative impacts on access to and utilisation of HIV services includ...

Background Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational r...

Background Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational r...

Background Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a severe complication of diabetes and particularly susceptible to infection. DFU infection intervention efficacy is declining due to antimicrobial resistance and a systematic review of economic evaluations considering their economic feasibility is timely and required. Aim To obtain and critically appraise al...

Introduction Addressing malnutrition is one of the key components of HIV care among people living with HIV. Since 2010, a nutritional program has been implemented to address malnutrition amongst HIV patients in Ethiopia, with patients enrolled in the program for 3 months (for mild acute malnutrition) and 6 months (for severe acute malnutrition). Ho...

Background Food insecurity is one of the major contributors to poor attainment of nutritional recovery among people living with HIV who are enrolled in nutritional programs. Nevertheless, nutritional programs in HIV care settings implemented in many countries are not designed to address food insecurity. This study in Tigray region Ethiopia examined...

Background: In Ethiopia, stigmatising attitudes towards people living with HIV have reduced over time due to improved HIV knowledge and the expansion of services. However, HIV stigma and discrimination remain a key challenge and have negative impacts on access to and utilisation of HIV services including nutritional programs. A small number of stud...

Introduction Food insecurity is one of the major contributors to poor attainment of nutritional recovery among people living with HIV who are enrolled in nutritional programs. Food insecurity also significantly contributes to high rates of relapse after nutritional recovery among the beneficiaries nutritional programs. Nevertheless, nutritional pro...

Background: Understanding the patterns of HIV/AIDS epidemics is crucial to tracking and monitoring the progress of prevention and control efforts in countries. We provide a comprehensive assessment of the levels and trends of HIV/AIDS incidence, prevalence, mortality, and coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 1980-2017 and forecast these est...

Background In Ethiopia, stigmatizing attitudes towards people living with HIV have reduced over time. This is mainly due to improved HIV knowledge and the expansion of access to HIV care and support services. However, HIV stigma and discrimination remain a key challenge, and have negative impacts on access to and utilisation of HIV services includi...

Background: In Ethiopia, stigmatising attitudes towards people living with HIV have reduced over time. This is mainly due to improved HIV knowledge and the expansion of access to HIV care and support services. However, HIV stigma and discrimination remain a key challenge and have negative impacts on access to and utilisation of HIV services includi...

EVIDENCE REVIEW We used the GBD study estimation methods to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Results are presented at the national level as well as by Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income, educational attainment, and total fer...

EVIDENCE REVIEW We used the GBD study estimation methods to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Results are presented at the national level as well as by Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income, educational attainment, and total fer...

Malnutrition and HIV act synergistically and both are highly prevalent in sub Saharan Africa. In Ethiopia, the Food by Prescription Program involves nutritional assessment, counselling and support to address nutritional problems in malnourished patients with HIV. However, the program is challenged by individual, institutional, community and health...

Background: Twelve of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are related to malnutrition (both under- and overnutrition), other behavioral, and metabolic risk factors. However, comparative evidence on the impact of behavioral and metabolic risk factors on disease burden is limited in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Ethiopia. Using data fr...

Background: The burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remains unclear in many regions of the world. Objectives: The GBD (Global Burden of Disease) 2015 study integrated data on disease incidence, prevalence, and mortality to produce consistent, up-to-date estimates for cardiovascular burden. Methods: CVD mortality was estimated from vital regi...

Importance: Comprehensive and timely monitoring of disease burden in all age groups, including children and adolescents, is essential for improving population health. Objective: To quantify and describe levels and trends of mortality and nonfatal health outcomes among children and adolescents from 1990 to 2015 to provide a framework for policy dis...

eFigure 1. Socio-Demographic Index quintiles by GBD subnational level 1 geography, 2015 eFigure 2a. Top 25 Global Causes of Death, by 5 SDI quintiles and 21 GBD regions, Aged 0-6 days, Females & Males, 2015 eFigure 2b. Top 25 Global Causes of Death, by 5 SDI quintiles and 21 GBD regions, Aged 7-27 days, Females & Males, 2015 eFigure 2c. Top 25 Glob...

Background The Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health introduced provision of the contraceptive Implanon at community level by trained health extension workers in 2009. However, little is known regarding the utilization and factors associated with Implanon use among rural women since the introduction of the community based intervention. Thus, this st...

Objectives: To document factors that hinder or enable strategies to reduce the first and second delays of the Three Delays in rural and pastoralist areas in Ethiopia. Methods: A key informant study was conducted with 44 Health Extension Workers in Afar Region, Kafa Zone (Southern Nation, Nationalities and Peoples' Region), and Adwa Woreda (Tigra...

Background: Established in 2000, Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4) catalysed extraordinary political, financial, and social commitments to reduce under-5 mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. At the country level, the pace of progress in improving child survival has varied markedly, highlighting a crucial need to further examine potent...

Background: Improving survival and extending the longevity of life for all populations requires timely, robust evidence on local mortality levels and trends. The Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study (GBD 2015) provides a comprehensive assessment of all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2...

Background: In transitioning from the Millennium Development Goal to the Sustainable Development Goal era, it is imperative to comprehensively assess progress toward reducing maternal mortality to identify areas of success, remaining challenges, and frame policy discussions. We aimed to quantify maternal mortality throughout the world by underlying...

Supplementary appendix.

Supplementary appendix.

Supplementary appendix.

GBD 2015 HIV Collaborators. Estimates of global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and mortality of HIV, 1980–2015: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet HIV 2016; 3: e361–87—In this Article, Kerrie E Doyle and David M Pereira have been added to the list of collaborators and Claudia C Pereira has been removed. These correction...

Background: Timely assessment of the burden of HIV/AIDS is essential for policy setting and programme evaluation. In this report from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 (GBD 2015), we provide national estimates of levels and trends of HIV/AIDS incidence, prevalence, coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and mortality for 195 countries and...

This appendix provides methodological detail, supplemental figures and more detailed results for HIV estimation.

Background: The maternal health system in Ethiopia links health posts in rural communities (kebeles) with district (woreda) health centres, and health centres with primary hospitals. At each health post two Health Extension Workers (HEWs) assist women with birth preparedness, complication readiness, and mobilize communities to facilitate timely re...

Ethiopia has made large-scale healthcare investments to improve child health and survival. However, there is insufficient population level data on the current estimates of infant mortality rate (IMR) in the country. The aim of this study was to measure infant mortality rate, investigate risk factors for infant deaths and identify causes of death in...

Background Progress towards attaining the maternal mortality and maternal health targets set by Millennium Development Goal 5 has been slow in most African countries. Assessing antenatal care and institutional delivery service utilization and their determinants is an important step towards improving maternal health care services.Methods Data were d...

Mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a major global issue, as other categories of mortality have diminished and life expectancy has increased. The World Health Organization's Member States have called for a 25% reduction in premature NCD mortality by 2025, which can only be achieved by substantial reductions in risk factors and improv...

Background Volunteer community health workers (VCHW) are health care providers who are trained but do not have any professional certification. They are intended to fill the gap for unmet curative, preventative, and health promotion health needs of communities. This study aims to investigate the non-financial incentives for VCHWs and factors affecti...