Background COVID-19 is an ongoing public health pandemic regardless of the countless efforts made by various actors. Quality diagnostic tests are important for early detection and control. Notably, several commercially available one step RT-PCR based assays have been recommended by the WHO. Yet, their analytic and diagnostic performances have not been well documented in resource-limited settings. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivities and specificities of three commercially available one step reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays in Ethiopia in clinical setting. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June, 2021 on 279 respiratory swabs originating from community surveillance, contact cases and suspect cases. RNA was extracted using manual extraction method. Master-mix preparation, amplification and result interpretation was done as per the respective manufacturer. Agreements between RT-PCRs were analyzed using kappa values. Bayesian latent class models (BLCM) were fitted to obtain reliable estimates of diagnostic sensitivities, specificities of the three assays and prevalence in the absence of a true gold standard. Results Among the 279 respiratory samples, 50(18%), 59(21.2%), and 69(24.7%) were tested positive by TIB, Da An, and BGI assays, respectively. Moderate to substantial level of agreement was reported among the three assays with kappa value between 0 .55 and 0.72. Based on the BLCM relatively high specificities (95% CI) of 0.991(0.973–1.000), 0.961(0.930–0.991) and 0.916(0.875–0.952) and considerably lower sensitivities with 0.813(0.658–0.938), 0.836(0.712–0.940) and 0.810(0.687–0.920) for TIB MOLBIOL, Da An and BGI respectively were found. Conclusions While all the three RT-PCR assays displayed comparable sensitivities, the specificities of TIB MOLBIOL and Da An were considerably higher than BGI. These results help adjust the apparent prevalence determined by the three RT-PCRs and thus support public health decisions in resource limited settings and consider alternatives as per their prioritization matrix.

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Background: Despite availability of antiretroviral therapy, HIV is responsible for 2.7 million new infections and 2.0 million deaths from worldwide. Anti-Retroviral treatment failure is not a commonly diagnosis in healthcare facilities in Ethiopia and there is dearth of information on the extent and predictors of treatment failure among adults receiving HIV care in the study setting. The aim of the current study is to assess the incidence and predictors of Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) failure among adults receiving HIV care at Zewditu Memorial Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Methods: Facility based retrospective cohort study design was employed on archived data from 2011 to 2016. Data compilation checklist was developed from intake card and ART follow-up card. The collected data were coded and entered using Epi Info 7 and analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) version 20 software. Results:The overall incidence rate of ART treatment failure were 4.91 cases per person months follow up with 2.1, 0.24 and 0.13 immunological, clinical and virological treatment failure cases per 100 person years of follow-up respectively Conclusion:The incidence of Anti-Retroviral Treatment failure was considerable among the study participants. The predictors for ART failure were WHO stage 3 at start, CD4 count at base line, disclosure and opportunistic infections. Comprehensive interventions have to be in place to tackle treatment failure among adults on ART through rendering optimum care focusing on adults with advanced WHO stage, lower CD4 count at baseline, opportunistic infections and people who did not disclose their HIV status.

Background In Ethiopia, an estimated 68 million peoples are at risk of malaria – 60% caused by Plasmodium falciparum and 40% by Plasmodium vivax. The national elimination program has begun a journey since 2016 with a vision to see a malaria-free country by 2030. The radical cure of P. vivax with the drug primaquine is an important component of the elimination strategy. However, Primaquine causes acute hemolytic anemia in glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme deficient cases and is a threat to P. vivax elimination. G6PD is a cytoplasmic enzyme for all human cells that involves in the pentose phosphate pathway of metabolic reaction and protects red blood cells from cellular oxidative damage by detoxifying free radicals. This study is therefore carried out to determine the G6PD deficiency prevalence among malaria-suspected patients in the study sites. Method Health facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 at Shele and Lante health centers. A total of 858 self-presented malaria suspected patients were enrolled in this study. The socio-demographic and clinical information of the study participants were collected using a pre-validated questionnaire, entered into Epi Info™ 7 software, and analyzed using SPSS V.20 statistical software. Finger prick blood samples were collected for onsite CareSTART G6PD biosensor analyzer test, dried blood spot (DBS) preparation, and malaria microscopy. The DBS samples are used for molecular confirmation of G6PD deficiency. Results A total of 858 study participants of which 49.3% (423) were males with the median and interquartile age range of 26 and 21 years, respectively were enrolled in the study. Of all the study participants, 14.3%, 9.3%, and 4.1% were microscopy positive for P. falciparum, P. vivax, and mixed parasites, respectively. The phenotypic CareSTART biosensor analyzer G6PD deficiency rate was 4.8% (41/858). Whereas the molecular genotyping result analyzed in selected 13 patients have shown G6PD gene mutation in 10 (76.9%) of the samples. Particularly G267 + 119C/T mutations were seen in 9 of 13 (69.2%), A376G in 3/13 (23.1%), and G1116A in 3/13 (23.1%). In addition, new mutations such as A376T (A◊T) 2/13 (15.4%) and G1116T (G◊T 1/13 (77 %) were also identified. Conclusion and recommendation : The result implied that G6PD deficiency among the study participants is not significantly high. In addition, the G267 + 119C/T mutation was the most frequent variant reported in this study. Therefore, it is recommended to consider hemolysis risk while prescribing the primaquine drug in the study area.