PurposeIn Ethiopia, more than 26 million students have been out of the classroom for nearly 9 months. On 18 September, the Ethiopian Minister of Health advised the Parliament the possibility of reopening schools provided certain conditions were met. Schools are currently reopening in the country for the first time since March 2020.ObjectiveThis study assessed the knowledge and preventive health behaviours toward COVID-19 and associated factors among secondary school students.Design, setting, participants and outcome measuresAn institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2020 in Gondar city, Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 370 secondary school students were included. Bivariable and multivariable ordinal logistic regression model were fitted to identify the predictors of knowledge about COVID-19. Simple and multiple linear regression analysis were done to identify factors associated with preventive behaviour. A p<0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.ResultsOnly one-fourth (23.5%, 95% CI 19.5% to 28.1%) of the participants had a good knowledge about COVID-19. The mean score of preventive behaviour was 22.8±SD 6.2. Marital status, religion, father education, living arrangement and sources of information were significantly associated with knowledge about COVID-19. Being female and using health professionals as source of information increased the engagement in preventive behaviours. On the other hand, student whose father employed in non-governmental organisation and other jobs had decreased engagement in preventive health behaviours.ConclusionSignificant number of the students had inadequate knowledge about COVID-19 and poorly engaged in COVID-19 preventive behaviour. Thus, it is suggested to include and disseminate about COVID-19 in related academic sessions, using school clubs and minimedias. The sources of COVID-19-related information need to strengthen the dissemination of tailored, credible and timely message to enhance the knowledge and engagement of the students in preventive behaviours.

Background There is mounting evidence that the risk of death from COVID-19 among people with HIV could be as much as twice that of the general population. Recent evidence revealed that HIV services has been decreased by 75% and the problem is much more extensive in Ethiopia since most of the logistics for HIV services and fund donated by the good will of NGOs. Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on HIV services is a crucial first step to draw appropriate intervention. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on HIV services in northwest Ethiopia. Methods An institution-based repeated cross-sectional study was conducted in Gondar city in August 2021. The DHIS-2 system, operated by FMOH contains data from all the nine health facilities for HIV care was used to extract data from the central repository. Excel data was exported to STATA 14 for analysis. We calculated indicators of HIV services, representing the 12 months pre-COVID 19 (2019) and 16 months during the COVID-19 period (2020 and 2021). ANOVA was used to detect the presence of significant mean differences between those periods. Assumptions of ANOVA was checked. The statistical significance was declared at 95% confidence interval (CI), p-value less than 0.05. Results The mean difference was significant within HIV_VCT, HIV_PICT, ART between the years 2019 before COVID-19 and 2020 during COVID-19 (p-value < 0.05). HIV_VCT, ART variability was substantial between the years 2019 and 2021 (p-value < 0.05). Conclusion COVID-19 seriously affected all aspects of HIV service uptake such as HIV VCT, HIV PICT, ART, newly started ART, TB screening, and lost to ART follow-up. This study urges optimizing ART delivery mitigation with the ongoing COVID-19 in Ethiopia and beyond, in order to maintain progress toward HIV epidemic control.

Background COVID-19 is a new pandemic that poses a threat to people globally. In Ethiopia, where classrooms are limited, students are at higher risk for COVID-19 unless they take consistent preventative actions. However, there is a lack of evidence in the study area regarding student compliance with COVID-19 preventive behavior (CPB) and its predictors. Objective This study aimed to assess CPB and its predictors among students based on the perspective of the Health Belief Model (HBM). Method and materials A school-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from November to December 2020 to evaluate the determinants of CPB among high school students using a self-administered structured questionnaire. 370 participants were selected using stratified simple random sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data, and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analyses to evaluate the measurement and structural models proposed by the HBM and to identify associations between HBM variables. A T-value of > 1.96 with 95% CI and a P-value of < 0.05 were used to declare the statistical significance of path coefficients. Result A total of 370 students participated with a response rate of 92%. The median (interquartile range) age of the participants (51.9% females) was 18 (2) years. Only 97 (26.2%), 121 (32.7%), and 108 (29.2%) of the students had good practice in keeping physical distance, frequent hand washing, and facemask use respectively. The HBM explained 43% of the variance in CPB. Perceived barrier (β = - 0.15, p < 0.001) and self-efficacy (β = 0.51, p <0.001) were significant predictors of student compliance to CPB. Moreover, the measurement model demonstrated that the instrument had acceptable reliability and validity. Conclusion and recommendations COVID-19 prevention practice is quite low among students. HBM demonstrated adequate predictive utility in predicting CPBs among students, where perceived barriers and self-efficacy emerged as significant predictors of CPBs. According to the findings of this study, theory-based behavioral change interventions are urgently required for students to improve their prevention practice. Furthermore, these interventions will be effective if they are designed to remove barriers to CPBs and improve students’ self-efficacy in taking preventive measures.

Vegetables contain vital ingredients such as minerals, phytochemicals, vitamins, and fibers, which play significant roles in human health. Consumption of fresh vegetables causes human infections and outbreaks while serving as a reservoir of several pathogens. The study evaluated the microbiological quality of raw vegetables consumed in and around Fiche town, Central Ethiopia. For the experimental study, a total of 100 samples of 5 different raw vegetables from two local markets were selected based on their commonalities for overall microbial quality in terms of aerobic mesophilic count, total coliform count, Enterobacteriaceae count, Staphylococci count, and yeast and mold levels. The highest count was aerobic mesophilic bacteria (5.7 log CFU/g) followed by Enterobacteriaceae (4.7 log CFU/g), while yeasts and molds count the least. The maximal count for aerobic mesophilic bacteria was enumerated in cabbage (6.4 log CFU/g) while the minimum was in green pepper samples (4.7 log CFU/g). Among 100 vegetable samples analyzed, 11% were contaminated by S. aureus which is highly prevalent in cabbage (20%), followed by lettuce (15%). In the present study, 15.0% of vegetable samples were positive for Salmonella and detected in all vegetable types.

Background: Premature birth remains a serious public health problem in developing countries including Ethiopia. Ethiopia is one of the country with highest preterm birth rate in Africa. However, there is limited evidences on the prevalence and associated factors of premature birth. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of premature birth among newborns delivered in Amhara region referral hospitals, Northern Ethiopia.Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was undertaken from February 23rd to April 23rd, 2020, in the Amhara region. A total of 482 mother-newborn pairs were included in this study. The data were collected by interviewing the mothers and reviewing their charts using a structured and pretested questionnaire. The outcome variable was preterm birth. Data were entered using Epi-data version 4.6 and analyzed using STATA software (version 14). Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models were done for the factors associated with premature birth. Results: In this study, the prevalence of premature birth was 11.41%(95% CI: 8.9, 14.6%). In multivariable logistig regression model; maternal age < 20 years (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 7.8: 95% CI 2.3 – 26 ), preeclampsia (AOR = 5: 95% CI 2.3 – 11 ), premature rupture of membrane (AOR=3.9: 95%CI 1.6- 9.0), chronic medical illness (AOR=4.6:95% CI2.1-10), and history of stillbirth (AOR = 2.7: 95% CI 1.1-7.3) were significantly associated with preterm birth.Conclusion: The finding of this study showed that the burden of premature birth is a public health concern among newborns delivered in Amhara region referral hospitals. Maternal age less than 20 years, preeclampsia, premature rupture of membrane, chronic medical illness, and history of stillbirth were factors associated with preterm birth. Therefore, efforts have to be made to reduce the burden of prematurity, and for early detection and management of preeclampsia. Premature rupture of membrane, and chronic medical illness. Obstetric care providers should give due attention to women with an age of less than 20 years and a history of stillbirth.