ObjectiveThis study assessed the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) and its predictors among adults living with HIV/AIDS in government health facilities in north-east Ethiopia.SettingA 5-year retrospective cohort study was conducted from May to June 2015 on 451 adult HIV/AIDS-infected individuals who enrolled in the HIV care clinics of government health facilities in north-east Ethiopia.ParticipantsA total of 451 HIV-infected adults who newly enrolled in the adult HIV care clinic from 1 July 2010 with complete information were followed until May 2015.Primary outcome measureThe primary outcome was the proportion of patients diagnosed with TB or the TB incidence rate.Secondary outcome measureThe incidence of TB was investigated in relation to years of follow-up.ResultsA total of 451 charts with complete information were followed for 1377.41 person-years (PY) of observation. The overall incidence density of TB was 8.6 per 100 PYof observation. Previous TB disease (adjusted HR (AHR) 3.65, 95% CI 1.97 to 6.73), being bedridden (AHR 5.45, 95% CI 1.16 to 25.49), being underweight (body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2) (AHR 2.53, 95 % CI 1.27 to 5.05), taking isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) (AHR 0.14, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.39), haemoglobin below 11 g/dL (AHR 2.31, 95% CI 1.35 to 3.93), and being in WHO clinical stages III and IV (AHR 2.84, 95% CI 1.11 to 7.27; AHR 3.07, 95% CI 1.08 to 8.75, respectively) were significant for the incidence of TB.ConclusionThe incidence of TB among adults living with HIV/AIDS in the first 3 years of follow-up was higher compared with that of subsequent years. Previous TB disease, no IPT, low BMI and haemoglobin level, advanced WHO clinical stage, and bedridden condition were the determinants of the incidence of TB. Therefore, addressing the significant predictors and improving TB/HIV collaborative activities should be strengthened in the study setting.

Background. Transfusion-transmissible infections, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and syphilis are among the greatest threats to blood safety and pose a serious public health problem. Objective. To determine the magnitude of blood borne infections among blood donors at Wolaita Sodo University Teaching Referral Hospital. Methods and Materials. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 10/11/2015 up to 10/12/2015. 390 donors were consecutively included and data on donor's age, sex, blood type, and serum screening results were obtained by structured questionnaire and laboratory investigation. The collected data were entered into Epi Data version 1.4 and then exported to SPSS version 20.0 for analysis. Result. The seroprevalence of blood borne pathogens is 29.5% of which HCV, HBV, HIV, and syphilis account for 8.5%, 9.5%, 6.4%, and 7.5%, respectively. Multiple infections were observed among 2.8% of the infected individuals. In addition, age ≥ 30 has a significant association with HCV. Conclusion. Significantly higher prevalence of transfusion-transmissible infections was identified from blood donors and they remain to be the greatest threat to blood safety, so comprehensive screening of donors' blood for HIV, HBV, HCV, and syphilis using standard methods is highly recommended to ensure the safety of blood recipient.

Background Adherence to Option B plus Antiretroviral Therapy plays a vital role in preventing mother to child transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and development of drug resistance. This study was aimed to assess adherence to option B plus ART and associated factors among HIV positive pregnant women at public Hospitals in Southern Ethiopia. Methods Facility based cross sectional study was conducted on HIV positive pregnant mothers attending public health facilities’ antenatal care unit. Systematic random sampling technique was employed to select 290 HIV positive pregnant women enrolled in the Option B plus program. Data were collected by using structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to identify factors associated with option B plus ART adherence. P -value less than 0.05 was considered as cut of point to declare statistical significance. Results The overall adherence to option B plus ART among HIV positive pregnant women was 236 (81.4%). Three in twenty, (14.8%) participants were none adherent to Option B plus ART due to difficulty in adopting time schedule and forgetting to take medication. During first trimester of pregnancy, 16 (5.5%) were stopped taking ART medication due to side effects. Pregnant women who started ART at the time of HIV diagnosis [AOR = 1.99, 95% CI: (1.02, 3.95)], and who had five or more antenatal care visits [AOR = 4.10, 95% CI (1.65, 10.02)] were more likely to adhere to option B plus ART. Women who should travel 30–60 min on foot to access ART from service delivering facilities were less likely to adhere to option B plus [AOR = 0.39, 95% C I: (0.17, 0.88)]. Conclusions The overall adherence to option B plus ART was suboptimal. Measures that improve recalling ability of individuals to take ART on time, and minimize ART side effects during first trimester of pregnancy need to be given emphasis. The study finding indicates the need for reconsidering the ad-hoc focused antenatal care visit at policy and program level by increasing the number of follow up visit with proper counseling on ART adherence benefits, and improving service accessibility.

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ObjectiveThis study was aimed to assess knowledge and skills of triage and associated factors among nurses in emergency department of Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, South Ethiopia. Institutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 101 nurses from March 1–30, 2018. The data was coded and entered to SPSS version 22.0. Descriptive statistics was done and Chi square test was done to show the association between independent variables and dependent variable.ResultsAmong the study participants, 57.4% were female and 87% were in age group of ≤ 30 years. 51.5% had low triage knowledge scores, with the mean score being 9.54 (SD = 2.317), 76.2% perceived their overall triage skill to be at good level, with mean score 95.75 (SD = 9.562). Working experience of study participants (χ2 = 15.204, p < .01), Educational level of study participant (χ2 = 22.148, p < .01) and triage experience (χ2 = 13.638, p < .01) were factors associated with triage knowledge. Working experience (χ2 = 7.944, p < .05) and triage experience (χ2 = 6.264, p < .05) were factors associated with triage skill.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-019-4062-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.