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.

BackgroundReducing maternal mortality and improving maternal health care through increased utilization of postnatal care utilization is a global and local priority. However studies that have been carried out in Ethiopia regarding determinants are limited. So This study aims to assess the magnitude of postnatal care utilization and its determinants in Debre Birhan Town, North Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1 to April 25, 2015, in Debre Birhan Town. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using structured pre-tested questionnaires. The data were entered and cleaned in Epi Info version 3.5 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used. Variable with p value less than or equal to 0.2 at bivariate analysis were entered into multiple logistic regression. Significance was declared at 0.05 in multiple logistic regressions and considered to be an independent factor.ResultFrom the total respondents, we found that 327 (83.3%) mothers utilized the postnatal care services. Single mothers were less likely to utilize postnatal care services than those mothers who are married and live together [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.06, 95% CI (0.01, 0.45)]. This study revealed that respondent’s knowledge about postnatal care services is an important predictor of postnatal care utilization [AOR = 0.03, 95% CI (0.00, 0.44)] and mothers who delivered in a health care facility were more likely to receive PNC than mothers who did not deliver in a health care facility [AOR = 0.65, 95% CI (0.58, 0.94)].ConclusionThe postnatal care utilization rate in Debre Birhan town was 83.3%. Marital status, maternal knowledge, and place of delivery were predictors of postnatal care service utilization. So specific attention should be directed towards the improvement of women’s education since the perception of the need for PNC services were positively correlated with the mother’s education.

Background: Urinary tract infection remains one of the major public health problems in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Its prevalence is fuelled by human immunodeficiency virus infection which represents a considerable health problem amongst these populations. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and associated factors of bacterial urinary tract infections among adult PLHIV. Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted from May to December, 2018 among adult people living with HIV/AIDS in Wolaita Sodo University Teaching and Referral Hospital. The socio-demographic data and clinical data were collected using structured questionnaire. Midstream urine sample was collected for bacterial isolation and identification. Antimicrobial sensitivity testing was done by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique. Logistic regression was conducted to check the association between UTI and associated factors. Results: The overall prevalence of urinary tract infection was 29 (14.1%). The predominant bacteria isolated was E. coli 13 (44.8%) followed by S. aureus 5 (17.2%). Gender, CD4 count, history of catheterization, history of hospitalization, and DM status were independent factors for the occurrence of urinary tract infection. E. coli species were 100% and 84.6% susceptible to ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, respectively; whereas, there was a complete resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and ampicillin. K. pneumoniae was pan resistant to gentamicin, amikacin and ampicillin, whereas 100% sensitive to nitrofurantoin. The rate of MDR was 23 (79.3%) with the majority, 16 (69.6%), gram negative and seven (30.4%) gram positive. Conclusion: The burden of UTI among people living with HIV was considerably high. The findings of this study will help policy makers and other stakeholders as baseline information.