Hailay Abrha Gesesew

Torrense University Australia · Research Centre for Public Health Policy

Background The war in Tigray, North Ethiopia which started in November 2020, has destroyed decades of the region’s healthcare success. There is some emerging published evidence on attacks on health care in the region, and we synthesized the available evidence on ‘perilous medicine’ in Tigray to understand the data source, subjects and content cover...

Background Acute Severe Hepatitis of Unknown Etiology (ASHUE) emerged as a new global outbreak in Indonesia early May 2022, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to understand public reactions and responses to the emergence of ASHUE Indonesia and to Government-led disease prevention responses. Understanding how the public perceive...

Background Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has a significant influence on the access to healthcare services. This study aimed to understand the views and experiences of people living with HIV (PLHIV) about barriers to their access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) service in Belu district, Indonesia, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Thi...

HIV infection and its sequelae continue to be a significant challenge among women and their families in developing countries despite the progress that has been made in the prevention and treatment of HIV. This paper describes the strategies employed by mothers with HIV to cope with the various challenges experienced following their own and their ch...

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has a significant influence on access to healthcare services. This study aimed to understand the views and experiences of people living with HIV (PLHIV) about barriers to their access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) service in Belu district, Indonesia, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Th...

Background Health, disability, and community services are increasingly transitioning from government-led to participant-led funding models, which intend to increase choice and control for service users. Allied health practitioners, who provide many frontline services within the resultant marketised environment, must adjust their knowledge and skill...

Migration has always been a feature of human populations, with people migrating and crisscrossing the globe for a wide range of reasons. During the 21st century [1], there have been substantial increases and changes in international migration and resettlement patterns due to factors including: people’s ability to travel, ease of communication and t...

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a major global public health issue that affects the quality of life (QoL) of people living with HIV (PLHIV) globally and in Indonesia. As a part of a large-scale qualitative study investigating HIV risk factors and impacts on PLHIV and facilitators of and barriers to their access to HIV care services in Yogyaka...

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...

Fistula is roaring in the ongoing war on Tigray. The potential risk factors for fistula in the conflict zone include obstructed labour due to limited or absent maternal care services, a correlation between malnutrition-stunted growth and birth difficulties and trauma, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to conflict-related sexual violenc...

Migrant populations are one of the vulnerable groups to HIV transmission and its consequences. They are also reported to experience delayed entry or linkage into HIV services and have poorer HIV-related health outcomes. This study aimed to understand barriers to accessing HIV care services in host countries among Indonesian, male, former (returned)...

HIV infection is a major public health concern, with a range of negative impacts on People Living with HIV (PLHIV). A qualitative study in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, using in-depth interviews with 26 Women Living with HIV (WLHIV) was conducted to understand HIV risk factors and impact and their access to HIV care services. This paper describes the self...

Migration has always been a feature of human populations, with people migrating and crisscrossing the globe for a wide range of reasons. During the 21st century [1], there have been substantial increases and changes in international migration and resettlement patterns due to factors including: people's ability to travel, ease of communication and t...

Background The practices of transnational corporations (TNCs) affect population health through unhealthy products, shaping social determinants of health, or influencing the regulatory structures governing their activities. There has been limited research on community exposures to TNC policies and practices. The aim of this paper was to adapt existi...

Background Despite measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the world, it is increasing day by day. Countries that implement good prevention strategies are less likely to be infected with COVID-19 than those that do not. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices toward COVID-19 early in the out...

Background Even though the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine and the increasing vaccination rates are promising, there are reports of refusal to get vaccinated in a different segment of the population, including health care workers. Objective This study determines the acceptance/refusal of the COVID-19 vaccination and it...

Early diagnosis of breast cancer is the best approach towards its control that may result in alleviating related mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge about breast cancer and both practices and perceived barriers to breast self-examination among female university students in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was carried...

Sarker R, Islam MS, Moonajilin MS, Rahman M, Gesesew HA, et al. (2022) Knowledge of breast cancer and breast self-examination practices and its barriers among university female students in Bangladesh: Findings from a cross-sectional study. PLOS ONE 17(6): e0270417. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270417

Sarker R, Islam MS, Moonajilin MS, Rahman M, Gesesew HA, et al. (2022) Knowledge of breast cancer and breast self-examination practices and its barriers among university female students in Bangladesh: Findings from a cross-sectional study. PLOS ONE 17(6): e0270417. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270417

We conducted a qualitative study involving African migrants (n = 20) and service providers (n = 10) in South Australia to explore mental health stressors, access to mental health services and how to improve mental health services for African migrant populations. This paper presents the views and experiences of African migrants about the post-migrat...

Background The present study aimed to assess the magnitude and factors associated with neglected and non-consented care during childbirth in public health facilities in Central Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods A health facility-based cross-sectional survey supplemented by a qualitative study was conducted from April to May 2020 among women giving birth....

Background The present study assessed the prevalence of and factor associated with suicidal ideations among adult Eritrean refugees in Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 400 adult refugees living in the Mai-Aini refugee camp in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia from September 2019 to May 2020. The respo...

Introduction: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is continued to be a major public health problem in low-income countries and more importantly in Africa. For the last decade, access to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and its impact in improving quality of life and reducing HIV-related morbidity and mortality has significantly been improved in Africa....

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...

A pre-post quasi-experimental interventional study was conducted among female university students residing in dormitories of Jahanginagar University in Dhaka, Bangladesh from December 2019 to March 2020.

Abstract Background Breast cancer is a global health issue and a leading cause of death among women. Early detection through increased awareness and knowledge on breast cancer and breast cancer screening is thus crucial. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of an educational intervention program on breast cancer knowledge and the p...

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 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...

Background It is known that ‘drop out’ from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment, the so called lost-to-follow-up (LTFU) occurs to persons enrolled in HIV care services. However, in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the risk factors for the LTFU are not well understood. Methods We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of risk factors for...

Access to mental health services is essential to improving health and well-being of population groups including migrants. This paper describes views and perspectives of African migrants and service providers about how to improve access to mental healthcare services for African migrants in South Australia. The study employed a qualitative design usi...

Background: Ectopic pregnancy is a neglected and challenging gynecologic problem in developing countries including Ethiopia. Objective: The present study is aimed at assessing the prevalence of ectopic pregnancy, its management outcomes, and factors associated with management outcomes in Tigray, North Ethiopia. Methods: We employed a four-year...

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...

BACKGROUND: Documentation of patterns and long-term trends in mortality in young people, which reflect huge changes in demographic and social determinants of adolescent health, enables identification of global investment priorities for this age group. We aimed to analyse data on the number of deaths, years of life lost, and mortality rates by sex a...

Introduction: Neonatal mortality in Ethiopia remains high accounting for 29 per 1,000 live births. Objective: This study compares the knowledge of neonatal danger signs and associated factors of mothers who gave birth at home and health facilities in Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A comparative community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A s...

Early diagnosis of breast cancer is the best approach towards its control that may result in alleviating related mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge about breast cancer and both practices and perceived barriers to breast self-examination among female university students in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was carried...

Background: Breast cancer is a global health issue and a leading cause of death among women. Early detection through increased awareness and knowledge on breast cancer and breast cancer screening is thus crucial. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of educational intervention program on breast cancer knowledge and practice of brea...

Background The sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Understanding the current state of the HIV epidemic and its change over time is essential to this effort. This study assesses the current sex-specific HIV burden in 204 countries and territories and measures progress in the control of the epid...

Anemia is a globally widespread condition in women and is associated with reduced economic productivity and increased mortality worldwide. Here we map annual 2000–2018 geospatial estimates of anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) across 82 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), stratify anemia by severity and aggregate res...

Background Documentation of patterns and long-term trends in mortality in young people, which reflect huge changes in demographic and social determinants of adolescent health, enables identification of global investment priorities for this age group. We aimed to analyse data on the number of deaths, years of life lost, and mortality rates by sex an...

International mobility has increased steadily in recent times, bringing along a myriad of health, social and health system challenges to migrants themselves and the host nations. Mental health issues have been identified as a significant problem among migrants, with poor accessibility and underutilisation of the available mental health services (MH...

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused increasing challenges for healthcare professionals globally. However, there is a dearth of information about these challenges in many developing countries, including Bangladesh. This study aims to explore the challenges faced by healthcare professionals (doctors and nurses) dur...

Background: The incidence rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is increasing in several countries despite that public health measures are put in place. Given that COVID-19 is a newly emerging disease, there is little knowledge about the disease. The present study aims to assess knowledge, perception, and preventive practices toward COVID-19...

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...

Introduction This study will evaluate the acceptability and effectiveness of a new intervention programme called teach-test-link-trace (TTLT) model in Tigrai, Ethiopia, where peer educators counsel about HIV ( teach ), perform house-to-house HIV testing ( test ) through pinprick HIV testing (H2H) or OraQuick HIV self-testing (HIVST), link HIV-posit...

Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the incidence and predictors of severe adverse drug reactions among patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Tigray, North Ethiopia. Methods: We employed four years retrospective cohort study using a structured data extraction sheet. The study populations were HIV patients on ART follow-u...

This is a supplementary material for the article entitled "Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019"

Introduction: Repatriated Indonesian migrant workers are vulnerable to developing serious mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of depression, anxiety, and stress among these populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Guided by the health belief model, a cross-s...

Introduction: Before the widespread availability of an effective COVID-19 vaccine, it is crucial to control the rate of transmission by ensuring adherence to behavioral modifications, such as wearing masks, physical distancing, and washing hands, all of which can be implemented as public health measures. Focusing on the conditions in Bali, this stu...

Female refugees are frequently exposed to sexualized, gender-based violence and harassment before, during, and after their flight. Yet female refugee-specific care and protection needs are rarely addressed in host countries. This study aimed to evaluate a mother and child center (MUKI) for female refugees in a reception and registration center in G...

Background: Africa is far behind from achieving the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 targets. Evidence shows that the participation of HIV patients as peer educators and other community health workers is substantially improving the entire HIV care continuum and subsequently the UNAIDS targets. This review aims to prov...

The present commentary explored the intersecting nature of the COVID-19 and HIV pandemics to identify a shared research agenda using a syndemic approach. The research agenda posits the following questions. Questions around HIV infection, transmission, and diagnosis include: (i) molecular, genetic, clinical, and environmental assessments of COVID-19...

Background: In Australia, telehealth services were used as an alternative method of health care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a realist analysis of a survey of health professionals, we have sought to identify the underlying mechanisms that have assisted Australian health services adapt to the physical separation between clinicians...

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...

Background: Women live longer than men, even though many of the recognised social determinants of health are worse for women than men. No existing explanations account fully for these differences in life expectancy, although they do highlight the complexity and interaction of biological, social and health service factors. Methods: this paper is...

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...

This study assessed the determinants that shape HIV knowledge and attitudes among South Sudanese women by analysing a Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey collected from 9,061 women in 9,369 households. Generalised linear mixed model regression was performed. Fifty percent of respondents were aware of HIV/AIDS, with 21% and 22% exhibiting good knowled...

Background While in general a country’s life expectancy increases with national income, some countries “punch above their weight”, while some “punch below their weight” – achieving higher or lower life expectancy than would be predicted by their per capita income. Discovering which conditions or policies contribute to this outcome is critical to im...