Introduction. Typhoid fever (TF) is a febrile global health problem caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) with relatively high prevalence in low- and middle-income countries including Ethiopia. Identifying local prevalence and gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards TF is recommended by the World Health Organization to implement preventive measures. Therefore, this study determined the prevalence of S. Typhi and KAP of febrile patients towards TF in Injibara General Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods. Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March 2020. A total of 237 patients were included conveniently. Data on KAP and demographic variables were collected using a structured questionnaire by face-to-face interview. After the interview, 5 ml venous blood was collected and processed using the Widal test following the manufacturer’s instruction. Mean scores and percentages were used to determine the level of KAP. Multivariable analysis was done to correlate KAPs with TF. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. The overall prevalence of S. Typhi was 25.7%. The highest seroprevalence was observed among the age group of 30-34 years (33.3%) and patients with no education. The majority of participants know the major ways of TF transmission (59.1-90.7%) and prevention (81.4%) methods. However, the misconception on the route of TF transmission was observed in 13.5-36.7% of participants. About 65.4% and 67.5% of study participants were considered knowledgeable and had good preventive practice towards TF, respectively. Being a student ( AOR = 0.227 , CI = 0.053 − 0.965 ) and considering mosquito bite as transmission routes ( AOR = 2.618 , CI = 1.097 − 6.248 ) were significantly associated with TF. Conclusion. High S. Typhi prevalence was observed in the study area. Moreover, the misconception on the transmission of typhoid fever and educational level was a risk factor for TF. Thus, health facilities should incorporate topics on typhoid fever as part of their health education system within health facilities and in the community.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been rapidly spreading across the globe since the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the disease outbreak as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Hand hygiene, via either regular handwashing with soap and water or using hand sanitizers, is among the various measures that need to be followed to control the outbreak of the disease. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers (ABHS) are the “gold standard” for hand disinfection because of their broad antimicrobial spectrum of activity, easy availability, better safety profile, and general acceptability to users. This study aimed at evaluating the physicochemical quality and antimicrobial efficacy of the locally manufactured ABHS marketed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional survey was used to collect ABHS from Addis Ababa marketplaces. A total of 25 sample products were randomly selected from different categories of hand sanitizer manufacturers. The physicochemical evaluation of the products was carried out as per the United States Pharmacopoeia and WHO standards. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., and Shigella spp clinical isolates were used for the antimicrobial efficacy test. Results The Fourier Transform Infrared result confirmed that all the test products met the identification test for ethanol. The majority (68%) of ABHS complied with the test for ethanol content (75–85% v/v). However, only 3 products fulfilled the hydrogen peroxide content (0.112–0.137% v/v). LPC307 showed the maximum zone of inhibition of 12 mm against Escherichia coli whereas MPC204 exhibited only 3 mm. LPC101 was found to be more sensitive to Shigella and Klebsiella Spp with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 20% and 10%, respectively. The sample product LPC101 showed a minimum bactericidal concentration of 20% against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella spp. Conclusion One-third of the tested ABHS did not comply with the WHO ethanol content limit and the majority of the products failed to meet the label claim for hydrogen peroxide content. Besides, nearly all products proved that they have activity against all the tested pathogenic microorganisms at a minimum concentration from 10 to 80%; though, they did not show 99.9% bacteriostatic or bactericidal activities as claimed. The study findings suggested regular monitoring of the quality of marketed ABHS considering the current wide use of these products.

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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread worldwide. Hand hygiene, via either regular handwashing with soap and water or using hand sanitizers, is among the various measures that need to be followed to control the outbreak of the disease. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are the “gold standard” for hand disinfection because of their broad antimicrobial spectrum of activity, easy availability, better safety profile, and general acceptability to users. This study aimed at evaluating the physicochemical quality and antimicrobial efficacy of the locally manufactured Ethanol-Based Hand Sanitizers (EBHS) marketed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was used to collect EBHS from Addis Ababa marketplaces. A total of 25 sample products were randomly selected from the different categories. The physicochemical evaluation of the products was carried out as per the United States Pharmacopoeia and WHO standards. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., and Shigella spp clinical isolates were used for the antimicrobial efficacy test. Results: The Fourier Transform Infrared result confirmed that all the test products met the identification test for ethanol. The majority (68%) of EBHS complied with the test for ethanol content (75 – 85% v/v). However, only 3 products fulfilled the hydrogen peroxide content (0.112 - 0.137% v/v). LPC307 showed the maximum zone of inhibition of 12 mm against Escherichia coli whereas MPC204 exhibited only 3 mm. LPC101 was found to be more sensitive to Shigella and Klebsiella Spp with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 20% and 10%, respectively. The sample product LPC101 showed a minimum bactericidal concentration of 20% against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella spp.Conclusion: One-third of the tested EBHS did not comply with the WHO ethanol content limit and the majority of the products failed to meet the label claim for hydrogen peroxide content. Besides, nearly all products proved that they have activity against all the tested pathogenic microorganisms; though, they did not show 99.9% bacteriostatic or bactericidal activities as claimed. The study findings suggested regular monitoring of the quality of marketed EBHS considering the current wide use of these products

High mortality and morbidity of canine were reported from Addis Ababa city administration and Bedele and Nekemte zonal towns of western Ethiopia in 2010. A team from National Animal Health and Investigation Center (NAHDIC) was assigned to investigate what caused the death of dogs. Varying ranges of clinical sings were observed which include febrile condition, body temperature of 39.5 to 41.5 o C, Runny eyes, nasal discharges, vomiting, diarrhea, various neurologic disorders and hyperkeratosis of foot pad "hard pad disease". Death occurred in all ages of dogs but most death was occurred in puppies. Some owners reported that they lost all the puppies they had at time of the outbreak. About 200 dogs were died only in Nekemte while number of death in Bedele (Ilubabore) and Addis Ababa were not exactly known. Eye swab from live animals (10 from Addis Ababa 5 from Nekemte and 5 from Bedele) and tissue samples (liver, kidney, lymph node and brain) from Nekemte and Bedele) were collected and tested using antigen detection fast kit. Virus isolation and molecular characterization was carried on these canine distemper positive samples and also brain tissues were tested for rabies virus (lyssaa virus) and found negative with molecular test. The investigation result showed that canine distemper virus was responsible for the outbreak canine disease in the areas. Sequencing of positive samples from all distantly located area indicates that Asia-1 lineage canine distemper virus is circulating in outbreak. Vaccination of the dogs against canine distemper virus is required in order to control the disease.