Impact of COVID -19 on population health and economic wellbeing in Ethiopia: A national pilot survey

Introduction: The COVD-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented global health and economic crisis, particu-larly in countries struggling with poverty. We conducted a national survey to understand the economic and health impacts of COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Methods: A pilot, population-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted among adults randomly selected from the Ethio Telecom list of mobile phone numbers. Participants underwent a comprehensive phone interview about the impact of COVID-19 on their economic well-being and the health-related risks associated with COVID-19. Results: Of 4,180 calls attempted, 1194 were answered, of which a successful interview was made with 614 par-ticipants. COVID-19 affected the family income of 343 [55.9%] participants, 56 [9.1%] lost their job, 105 [17.1%] perceived high stress in their household, and 7 [1.14%] reported death in their family in the past month. The odds of having a decreased income due to COVID-19 were 2.4 times higher among self-employed [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.4, 95% CI (1.58-3.77)] and 2.8 times higher among unemployed [AOR 2.8, 95% CI (1.35-5.85)] participants. Two-hundred twenty-one [36%] participants had comorbidity in their household with hypertension, 72 [11.7%], diabetes,50 [8.1%], asthma, 48 [7.8%], and other chronic diseases, 51 [8.4%]. Forty-six [7.5%] participants had COVID-like symptoms in the previous month, where cough, headache, and fatigue were the most com-mon.

Review Paper on Research Ethics In Ethiopia: Experiences and Lessons Learnt from Addis Ababa University College of Health Sciences 2007-2012

Health research in Ethiopia is increasing both in volume and type; accompanied with expansion of higher education and research since the past few years. This calls for a proportional competence in the governance of medical research ethics in Ethiopia in the respective research and higher learning institutes. The paper highlights the evolution and progress of the ethics review at Addis Ababa University- College of Health Sciences (AAU-CHS) in the given context of health research review system in Ethiopia. Reflections are made on the key lessons to be drawn from the formative experiences of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and their implications to the Ethiopian health research review system. This article is a review paper based on review of published and un published documents on research ethics in Ethiopia and the AAU-CHS (2007-2012). Thematic summaries of review findings are presented in thematic areas - formation of ethics review and key factors in the evolution of ethics review and implications The IRB at AAU-CHS has been pivotal in providing review and follow-up for important clinical studies in Ethiopia. It has been one of the first IRBs to get WHO/SIDCER recognition from Africa and Ethiopia. Important factors in the successes of the IRB among others included leadership commitment; its placement in institutional structure; and continued capacity building. Financial challenges and sustainability issues need to be addressed for the sustained gains registered so far. Similar factors are considered important for the new and younger IRBs within the emergent Universities and research centers in the country

Factors predisposing out-of-school youths to HIV/AIDS-related risky sexual behaviour in northwest Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is a developing country with a demographic profile dominated by a young population. Due to biological, psychological, sociocultural and economic factors, young people, particularly those aged 15-24 years, are generally at a high risk of HIV/AIDS and other reproductive health problems. This paper presents results of a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in Bahir Dar town, northwest Ethiopia, to assess factors that predispose out-of-school youths to HIV/AIDS-related risk behaviours. Both quantitative and qualitative data-collection methods were employed to conduct the study. For quantitative data collection, a household interview survey was conducted among 628 out-of-school youths, aged 15-24 years, within the 17 kebeles (villages) of the town. The number of respondents in each kebele was assigned proportional to the size of kebele, and the required numbers of respondents within each kebele were selected through a systematic random-sampling technique. Qualitative data were collected by conducting five focus-group discussions with 46 participants and in-depth interviews with 10 participants. Institutional ethical clearance and informed verbal consent from the study participants were obtained before undertaking the study. Of the 628 study subjects, 64.8% had experienced sexual intercourse at the time of the survey. The mean age at first sexual commencement was 17.7 (+2) years. Of those sexually active, 33% had sexual intercourse with non-regular partners (the proportions were 40.6% among males and 24.7% among females, suggesting that males tended to be about two times more likely to have sex with non-regular sexual partners than females (odds ratio = 1.78, with 95% confidence interval 1.16-2.73). Furthermore, consistent condom-use among those who had sex in exchange for money was low (36%). Alcohol intake, chewing of khat (a green leaf), low educational background, and being male were significantly associated with having sex with either a commercial or a non-regular sexual partner. In view of the magnitude of high-risk sexual behaviours among out-of-school youths that may expose them to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, efforts need to be exerted to deal with the identified predisposing factors and to address the problems of idleness, lack of jobs, and hopelessness.