Prevalence of Underweight and Associated Factors among Lactating Women in Ethiopia: A Mini-review

Nutritional status is considered as one of the key indicators of the overall wellbeing of a population. Lactating women and children are among the most vulnerable groups due to their higher nutritional needs and detrimental effects of poor nutrition on their health. Lactating women have increased nutritional needs and if not well met, breast milk quality and quantity are negatively affected, which leads to increased risk for child morbidity and mortality. Studies have been done in the different regions of Ethiopia to assess the nutritional status among lactating women and have reported various prevalence and different associated factors. Despite the different efforts to improve nutrition in Ethiopia, the prevalence of underweight is still high, with most regions having a higher prevalence than the documented 5-20% of African women.We aimed to review the prevalence and associated factors of underweight among lactating women in Ethiopia. We used literature searched from key databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, among others, to collect relevant information about the prevalence of underweight among pregnant women in Ethiopia The mini-review identified the highest prevalence at 50.6% in the Northern parts and the lowest at 17.4% in the Southern parts of Ethiopia. Several factors were identified to be associated with underweight among lactating women in Ethiopia including; dietary diversity score, household food security, family income, place of delivery,nutritional education programs and antenatal care attendance. This implies the need for targeted programs/policies to promote household food security and family income, community nutritional education, and nutritional counselling during antenatal care attendance. Besides, there is a need to conduct national and regional studies to inform policy further since there were more studies done in the Southern parts of the Country with less information from other regions

Zika Virus in Africa: Epidemiology and Determinants

Zika virus (ZIKV) that was less known for decades suddenly became a global health emergency at the beginning of 2016. The virus was first discovered in the Zikaforest of Uganda in 1947, and the first confirmed human infection was reported in Uganda between1962­1963. From its origin in East Africa, ZIKV then spread to West and Central Africa with a limited occurrence in North Africa. ZIKV has been circulating in Africa for over 60 years, but less attention had been given, not until its recent outbreaks outside Africa and its discovered association with adverse congenital disabilities. ZIKV is known to cause several debilitating neurological complications, including microcephaly in newborns and Guillain­Barré Syndrome (GBS) in adults. This review thus aims to highlight the epidemiological evidence and distribution of ZIKV in Africa with a focus on determinants, complications as well as management. We used literature searched from key databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, among others, to collect relevant current information about ZIKV in Africa. Climate, sociodemographic factors, and increasing human density impact the spread of ZIKV in Africa, as in other areas. Furthermore, ZIKV transmission is affected by several unique factors, including the potential risk of sexual transmission, as well as vast numbers of refugees and other travellers from ZIKA endemic areas across Africa, and all over the world. The review identifies the need to improve surveillance mechanisms and focusing on vector control as critical steps to enable prompt detection and avert potential outbreaks of the disease in the continent.

Epidemiology of Measles in Sudan

Few epidemiological studies have been undertaken of measles disease among Sudanese, although measles is the third leading cause of death since 1995among childhood diseases that can be prevented by immunization. The measles vaccine was introduced into the EPI programin 1985. In the run-up to the introduction of the vaccine, the country suffered from measles epidemics periodically and extensively, ranging from 50,000 to 75,000 cases and from 15,000 to 30,000 deaths per year. Simple actions can save a million livesof children throughimmunizationcoverage, eye care programs, maternal and child health education, maintaining and improving the general nutritional status of Sudanesechildren. Continuous surveillance and monitoring systems and evaluation are essential tasks at all levels to improve performance, identify and address problems throughout establishing and increasingthe surveillance system. This review highlights a brief overview of measles epidemiology in Sudan and determinants of a measles outbreak, clinical symptoms, complications, and surveillance sites and the ways for prevention and control of measles disease. The review established that it is crucial to enforce coordination between governmental and non-governmental agencies for an effective disease surveillancesystem in the area, especially in those affected by civil wars