Background and aim School-based preventive mass chemotherapy has been a key component of Ethiopia's national plan for the control of soil-transmitted helminths. Without an impact evaluation on the impact of a deworming program on infection levels, it is unclear whether the deworming program warrants levels of environmental transmission of infection. This study aimed to determine the impact of annual preventive mass chemotherapy for soil-transmitted helminths among schoolchildren in an endemic area of Gurage zone, south-central Ethiopia. Methods A repeated school-based quantitative prospective cross-sectional method was employed. Data were collected from study participants selected using systematic sampling with probability proportional to size at baseline and after annual treatment. Fresh stool samples were collected and processed using the Kato─Katz technique at the Wolkite University parasitology laboratory. SPSS-21 was used for data management and analysis. Changes in parasitological variables after treatment were estimated. Results Overall, 41.1% prevalence and 22.3% mean geometric infection-intensity reduction were found. Reductions in prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni and hookworms were 13.2% and 15.3%, respectively. Similarly, decreases in prevalence were seen in Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura , representing 94.4% and 80.0% reduction rates, respectively, while 25.9% of the children had heavy S. mansoni (≥400 eggs per gram) infections at baseline, which were reduced to 4.5% after annual treatment. Geometric mean infection intensity–reduction rates for hookworms, A. lumbricoides , and T. trichiura were 80.8%, 20.2%, and 96.7%, respectively. Conclusion Annual mass chemotherapy failed to clear soil-transmitted helminths completely in the present study. However, it resulted in a substantial reduction in overall prevalence and infection intensity. Therefore, other than deworming for school children, interventions such as access to improved personal hygiene and environmental hygiene in school should be emphasized to interrupt transmission.

Intestinal parasitic infections are among the most common on causes  of disease in humans, responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality. Commonly consumed raw vegetables and fruits are among the ways through which humans become infected with parasites of medical importance. A prospective cross-sectional study with an aim of describing the parasite contamination rate of raw fresh vegetables and fruits sold at the central open-aired market of Butajira and Wolkite towns, in southern Ethiopia was conducted on a total of 270 fresh vegetable and fruits samples. Standardized parasitological techniques were employed to detect diagnostic stages of parasites.98 out of the 270 (36.3%) samples were found positive for intestinal parasites. Remarkably, twenty eight out of the forty five cabbage samples analyzed, 62.2%, were found to be contaminated with parasites of medical importance, registering the highest level of contamination. On the contrary Avocado was found to be the least contaminated produce with contamination rate of 17.7% (8/45). Significant association was observed between the kind of vegetables analyzed and existence of parasites (p=0.002). This study identified high rate of contamination in commonly consumed vegetables and fruits. The authors believe that the role fruits and vegetables paly in the transmission of intestinal parasitic infections to humans is un questionable. Substantial attention is needed from all relevant bodies to tackle this problem.

Introduction: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund recommends a 100% growth monitoring and promotion coverage, but the prevalence of growth monitoring and promotion service utilization rate in Ethiopia is only 16.9%. Even though Ethiopia is attempting different strategies to cope up with this low rate, the problem is still unresolved. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of growth monitoring service utilization and its associated factors among mothers of children less than 2 years in Muhir Aklil district. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 443 study participants from 10 February to 8 March 2020. The study participants in the study were selected using simple random sampling technique. The collected data were entered in to EpiData3.1 and exported to SPSS version 23. Bivariate and multi-variable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with growth monitoring service utilization. Statistically significance was declared at p value < 0.05% and 95% confidence interval. Results: In this study, the overall growth monitoring and service utilization was 32.9%. Fully empowered mothers adjusted odds ratio: 2.7, 95% confidence interval: 1.5–4.3), receiving counseling (adjusted odds ratio: 2.8; 95% confidence interval: 2.0–4.7) and regularly participating on community conversation (adjusted odds ratio: 2.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.8–7.6) were significantly associated with growth monitoring service utilization. Conclusion: Growth monitoring services utilization was 32.9%. Maternal empowerment on decision-making, engaging women on financial control, knowledge of mothers receiving counseling and regularly participating on community conversation were the independent factors for growth monitoring service utilization. The health extension workers should strengthen maternal empowerment and community conversation through increasing maternal awareness.