Prevalence and Determinants of Under-Nutrition Among Under-Five Children in Afar Region, Ethiopia: Evidence From 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey

Background: Undernutrition is one of the major public health concerns among infants and young children in the country. Childhood under-nutrition is widespread in low and middle-income countries. This study was initiated to assess the prevalence of under-nutrition and its associated factors among under-five children in Afar Region, Ethiopia. Methods: The data for this study were extracted from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2016. The information collected from 937 children born 5 years before the survey was considered in the analysis. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used at a 5% level of significance to determine the individual- and community-level factors associated with childhood malnutrition.Results: The prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting in Afar region were 41.1%, 36.2% and 17.7%, respectively. About 26.7% of children in Afar region were both stunting and underweight, 12.7% were both underweight and wasting, 7.6% were both stunting and wasting and only 7.0% of children had all the three under-nutrition conditions. Among the factors considered in this study, age of a child in months, anemia level, mothers’ BMI, household wealth index, size of child at birth, number of living children and place of residence were significantly associated with stunting, underweight and wasting in Afar Region. Conclusions: The prevalence of all stunting, underweight and wasting was relatively high. Undernutrition is one of the major public health concerns among children in Afar Region. The effect of these factors should be considered to develop strategies to reduce under-nutrition in the study area. Thus, intervention should be focused on improving the under-nutrition determinants of the children to improve the child's nutritional status and reduce child morbidity and mortality.

Brucellosis in camel and human: Seroprevalence and associated risk factors in Amibara district of Afar region, Ethiopia

Background: Brucellosis is an important neglected zoonotic disease caused by infection with bacteria of the genus Brucella affecting different mammalian species including man. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence of brucellosis in camels and human and its associated risk factors in Amibara district of Afar region, North east Ethiopia from October 2019 to May 2020Result: A total of 250 camel and 120 human sera were serially tested using the Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT), and Complement Fixation Test (CFT). The overall seroprevalence of camel brucellosis in the current study was 7.6% (95% CI: 4.9-11.56) using RBPT and 3.2% (95% CI: 1.63-6.2) by combined RBPT and CFT. In Human twelve (10%) of the collected sera were positive by RBPT among which only four of them (3.33%) were positive by CFT. The risk factors analysis indicated that, age, body condition, number of parity and abortion history were significantly associated with brucella seropositivity in camel(P≤0.05). In human, occupation and non-protective handling of dystocia cases showed apparent association with brucella seropositivity.Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated that, brucellosis is a common health problem in camel and human in Amibara district of Afar region. The public health importance of this disease is associated with raw milk consumption and close contact with the animals having history of recent abortion. Therefore, controlling the risk factors, establishing brucella diagnostic service in human clinics and hospitals, continuous social training with feedback assessments and overall implementing of One Health approach framework to attain optimal health for people and domestic animals in area are recommended to safeguard the health of society.

Predictors for time to recovery from sever acute malnutrition among under-five children admitted to therapeutic feeding unit at Dubti referral hospital, Afar region, Ethiopia

Background Currently, about 165 million children are categorized under malnutrition and 51.5 million suffering from acute malnutrition in world wide. Hence, the objective of current study was to assess the recovery time and its predictors of children under five from severe acute malnutrition admitted to Therapeutic Feeding Unit at Dubti Referral Hospital, Afar region, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods Institutional based retrospective cohort study was conducted on 650 inpatient children with SAM admitted for therapeutic feeding unit whose treatment was from March to April/2017. Results The result in current investigation indicates that the average recovery time from SAM was found to be 21 days (95% CI; 21.23–25.77), p-value = 0.035). A Cox proportional hazard regression model revealed that Weight of a child at birth, gestational age of a child, working status of a child at admission birth order of a child, mother’s BMI, mother’s level of education, mother’s stature, mother’s occupation, mother’s age, mother’s marital status, mother’s nutritional status, house hold income in ETB, family size in HH, number of under-five children, the type of toilet used in HH, source of improved drinking water, type of cooking fuel, ownership of livestock, age and weight of a child at admission had statistically significant association with the variation of average recovery time of children from SAM. Conclusion Male children under severe acute malnutrition, rural children, children with different additional diseases and children who did not get mothers’ breast milk at least in the first six months after birth and children who did not get vaccination are groups at risk and needs intervention and special attention to be recovered with short period of time. Children from low income family, who did not get improved drinking water, without moderate cooking fuel and a child from larger families were groups at risk in recovery time from SAM.

Brucellosis in Camels and Humans: Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors in Amibara District of Afar Region, Ethiopia

Brucellosis is an important neglected zoonotic disease caused by infection with bacteria of the genus Brucella affecting different mammalian species including humans. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence of brucellosis in camels and humans and its associated risk factors in Amibara District of Afar Region in Northeast Ethiopia, from October 2019 to May 2020. A total of 250 camel and 120 human sera were serially tested using the Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) and complement fixation test (CFT). The overall seroprevalence of camel brucellosis in this study was 7.6% (95% CI: 4.9–11.56) by RBPT and 3.2% (95% CI: 1.63–6.2) by combined RBPT and CFT. In humans, twelve (10%) of the collected sera were positive by RBPT among which only four of them (3.33%) were positive by CFT. The risk factor analysis indicated that age, body condition, number of parity, and abortion history were significantly associated with Brucella seropositivity in camel ( P ≤ 0.05). In humans, occupation and nonprotective handling of dystocia cases showed an apparent association with Brucella seropositivity. The results of this study indicated that brucellosis is a common health problem in camels and humans in Amibara District of Afar Region. The public health importance of this disease is associated with raw milk consumption and close contact with the animals having history of recent abortion. Therefore, controlling the risk factors, establishing Brucella diagnostic service in human clinics and hospitals, continuous social training with feedback assessments, and overall implementing of One Health approach framework to attain optimal health for people and domestic animals in area are recommended to safeguard the health of society.

Sero epidemiology of Cattle Brucellosis and Associated Risk Factors in Amibara District of Afar Region, Ethiopia

Bovine brucellosis is the most common but under reported bacterial diseases known to create a serious socio-economic problem in both intensive and extensive livestock production systems. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine seroprevalence and associated risk factors of cattle brucellosis in Amibara district of Afar region, Ethiopia from October 2019 to May 2020. A total of 181 cattle sera were collected and screened using Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and reactive samples were further confirmed by complement fixation test (CFT). Risk factors associated with cattle brucellosis were assessed during serum sample collection using data collection format. As a result, the overall seroprevalence of cattle brucellosis was 10.5% and 2.2% by RBPT and CFT respectively. Assessment of potential risk factors showed that, Age (χ2=6.77, p=0.021), number of parity (χ2=9.433, p=0.004), abortion history (χ2=16, p=0.002) and history of placental retention (χ2=19.1, p=0.003) showed statistically significant association with brucellosis seropositivity in cattle. Based on firth’s bias reduced logistic regression analysis, only multiparous animal (OR=10.68, P=0.0042, 95% CI=-1.19-7.595) and animals with placental retention (OR=72.72, P=0.0026, 95% CI=1.46-9.272) showed statistically significantly association with brucella infection in cattle. In conclusion, the results of the current study indicate the presence of brucellosis in cattle in Amibara district of Afar region, Ethiopia. Hence, implementing preventive measures such as developing vaccination strategy, regular screening and culling of the reactive animal is important to create diseases free herd.

The Magnitude of Pre-lacteal Feeding Practice and its Influencing Factors Among Mothers with Children Under the Age of Two Years in Afar Region of Ethiopia: A Community based Quantitative and Qualitative Study

Background: Pre-lacteal feeding is a barrier to implement optimal breastfeeding practices and caused new-born disease. Pre-lacteal feeding is primarily practiced in developing countries, where cultural and social structures are based on descent and relationships. The aim of study was to determine the magnitude of pre-lacteal feeding practice and its influencing factors among mothers with children under the age of 2-years in Afar region of Ethiopia. Method: A community based cross sectional study supplemented by qualitative study was employed. In the quantitative study, 235 study participants were included, whereas seventeen study subjects participated in the qualitative study. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with pre-lacteal feeding practice. The qualitative data was analyzed using thematic approach. Result: The magnitude of pre-lacteal feeding was 36.6%. Being a housewife (AOR=4.1, 95% CI: 1.4-12.2) and having male indexed child (AOR=4.9, 95% CI: 1.8-13.5) were more likely to practice pre-lacteal feeding than those of trade and female, respectively. However, pre-lacteal feeding practice decreased in those mothers with three and above ante natal care visits (AOR=0.31, 95% CI: 0.1-0.9), delivered at health institutes (AOR=0.1, 95% CI: 0.02-0.3), starting breastfeeding within one hour (AOR=0.04, at 95% CI: 0.01-0.1) and getting breast feeding counseling (AOR=0.21, at 95%CI: 0.06-0.7). Milk, plain water, sugar solution, honey, butter, dates (‘temir'), a leaf, and condo pepper were the most common pre-lacteal foods reported by study participants. Cultural beliefs and the assumption of cleaning new-born throat and bowel were the most common reason to practice pre-lacteal feeding. Conclusion: The magnitude of pre-lacteal feeding was high due to socio-cultural and maternal health service utilization factors. Water, milk products, sweet foods and some of plant types were the most common pre-lacteal foods. Key words: Pre-lacteal feeding, factors, mother, children

Prevalence and Determinants of Under-nutrition Among Children Under Five Years of Age in Afar Region, Ethiopia: Evidence From 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey

BackgroundUndernutrition is one of the major public health concerns among infants and young children in the country. Childhood under-nutrition is widespread in low and middle-income countries. This study was initiated to assess the prevalence of under-nutrition and its associated factors among under-five children in Afar Region, Ethiopia. MethodsThe data for this study were extracted from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2016. The information collected from 937 children born 5 years before the survey was considered in the analysis. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used at a 5% level of significance to determine the individual- and community-level factors associated with childhood malnutrition.ResultsThe prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting in Afar region were 41.1%, 36.2% and 17.7%, respectively. About 26.7% of children in Afar region were both stunting and underweight, 12.7% were both underweight and wasting, 7.6% were both stunting and wasting and only 7.0% of children had all the three under-nutrition conditions. Among the factors considered in this study, age of a child in months, anemia level, mothers’ BMI, household wealth index, size of child at birth, number of living children and place of residence were significantly associated with stunting, underweight and wasting in Afar Region. ConclusionsThe prevalence of all stunting, underweight and wasting was relatively high. Undernutrition is one of the major public health concerns among children in Afar Region. The effect of these factors should be considered to develop strategies to reduce under-nutrition in the study area. Thus, intervention should be focused on improving the under-nutrition determinants of the children to improve the child's nutritional status and reduce child morbidity and mortality.

Prevalence and risk factors of human brucellosis and malaria among patients with fever in malaria-endemic areas, attending health institutes in Awra and Gulina district, Afar Region, Ethiopia

Background Brucellosis is an important neglected bacterial zoonotic disease that has been affecting animals and humans for decades. Malaria has been considered major cause of illness in tropical areas, including Ethiopia. This study aimed to identify prevalence and risk factors of human brucellosis and malaria among patients with fever in malaria-endemic areas attending health institutes in Awra and Gulina district, Afar Region, Ethiopia. Methods A purposive cross-sectional study was conducted among febrile patients who attended health institutes in Awra and Gulina district of Afar region from February to May 2019. 3–5 ml blood samples were collected, thick and thin blood films were prepared and examined for malaria; serum was separated and tested for anti-Brucella using Rose Bengal Plate Test, and the seropositives were subjected to ELISA. Data were entered using EpiData3.1 and analyses were performed using Stata SE 14. Results A total of 444 febrile individuals (59.5% female) of age ranging from 2 to 83 years (mean = 26.1, SD = ± 11.8) were participated in this study. The overall seroprevalence of brucellosis was 31.5% (95% CI; 27.4–36.0%) by RBPT and 15.8% (95% CI; 12.7–19.7%) by ELISA, as well as the prevalence of malaria (P. falciparum) was 4.3% (95% CI; 2.7–6.6%) among febrile patients. Malaria was more common in males (7.2% 95% CI; 4.2–12.1%) than in female (2.3% 95% CI; 1.0–5.0%, p = 0.01) and in non-married than in married (7.6% 95% CI; 4.1–13.6% vs. 2.9% 95% CI; 1.5–5.4%, p = 0.02). Being male (AOR = 2.41, 95%CI: 1.36–4.26, p < 0.002), drinking raw milk (AOR = 26.68, 95%CI: 3.22- 221.13, p = 0.002) and boiled milk (AOR = 17.52, 95%CI: 2.06—149.04, p = 0.009) and touching aborted fetus/discharges without protective (AOR = 2.56, 95%CI: 1.01–6.528.50, p = 0.048) were independently associated with brucellosis among febrile patients. Conclusion The prevalence of brucellosis in fever patients in this study area is higher than malaria. Consumption of raw milk and contact with animal discharge can cause significant risk of Brucella infection. So, brucellosis disease must be sought in the differential diagnosis, like ELISA test that can be used to differentiate from other febrile diseases like malaria.

Crustal structure and upper mantle anisotropy of the Afar triple junction

The Afar region is a tectonically distinct area useful for studying continental break-up and rifting. Various conflicting models have been suggested to explain the lateral variations of the anisotropy in this region. To address this issue, we investigated the tectonics of the Afar region using receiver function and shear-wave splitting measurements based on broadband seismic data from 227 stations in the region. Further, the receiver function results were inverted to obtain the crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio of the region. Our results reveal a thick African crust (thicker than 40 km) with typical Vp/Vs values for the continental crust, elongated down to 21 km along the rift system with very high Vp/Vs values near the fractured zones, suggesting crustal thinning near the fractured zones. Our shear-wave splitting measurements indicate a general fast axis orientation of N030E. However, substantial disparities in the fast anisotropy direction exist in the triple junction region, with some stations displaying a direction of N120E, which is perpendicular to the fast directions measured at the surrounding stations. In addition, many stations located close to the rifts and within the Arabian Plate provide mostly null measurements, indicating the presence of fluids or isotropic media. This study uses several methodologies to unravel the structure and evolution of the Afar region, providing valuable insight into the Afar, a tectonically distinct region, which will be useful for elucidating the mechanisms and characteristics of a continental break-up and the rifting process.