Investigation of environmental and health impacts solid waste management problems and associated factors in Asella town, Ethiopia.

Solid wastes are substances thrown away by the institutions of individual households in the urban community. The solid waste management practice in Asella town was inappropriate caused environmental pollution and exposed different urban health difficulties. The main objective was to determine the environmental and health impacts of solid waste management problems and associated factors in Asella town. Data collection was carried out through a house-to-house community survey process with a method of cross-sectional study design. A total sample size of 418 households was selected and implemented a simple random and systematic probability sampling technique. The statistical analysis of the binary logistic regression model was used to perform the correlational test about health issues in Asella town. The environmental impact assessment indicators were 13.4% soil pollution, 31.6% air pollution, 20.8% environmental deterioration, and 34.2% water pollution. The health impact indicators were 49.5% respiratory diseases, 18.2% asthmatic (bronchitis) cases, 15.8% diarrheal diseases, 14.8% protozoan illnesses, and 1.7% cancer cases. The odds ratio of females AOR = 1.18; 95%, CI:0.48-2.89, educational districts of can't read and write AOR = 2.31: 95% CI = 0.48-11.1, primary cycle AOR = 2.32, 95% CI:0.58-9.21, Secondary cycle AOR = 2.19, 95% CI = 0.60-7.98, and tertiary cycle AOR = 4.98, 95% C1.06-23.46. the odds ratio of house ownership of government AOR = 2.95, 95% CI:0.54-16.14, private households AOR = 4.18, 95% CI:0.79-22.16 and rented house property AOR = 1.71, 95% CI:0.32-9.18. The odds ratio of income group of lower status AOR = 2.0, 95% CI:0.91-4.98, middle income AOR = 5.7, 95% CI: 0.73-44.53 and higher income AOR = 2.8, 95% CI:0.35-23.14. The odds ratio for sorting of solid waste AOR = 1.38, 95% CI:0.56-3.40, and reusing of solid waste AOR = 7.90, 95% CI:2.12-29.42. Thus, the odds ratio of reusing solid waste was statistically significant correlated factors that limit health issues in Asella town. Therefore, the inadequate solid waste management practice was a query for environmental and health impacts in Asella town. The principles of reusing, reducing, and recovering solid waste management practice must be supported by professional interventions and government policy.

Indoor air bacterial load and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of isolates at Adare General Hospital in Hawassa, Ethiopia.

Background: Air is the agent of pathogenic microbes that cause significant problems in the hospital environment. Multidrug resistance poses a major therapeutic challenge to these airborne microorganisms in hospital indoor environments. Method and materials: This study was conducted at Adare General Hospital in Hawassa City, Sidama, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted. The proportional allocation method was used to select the sampled 50 rooms from the total available rooms in each category of wards and staff offices. A total of 100 indoor air samples were collected using settle plates in all units twice a day, morning (9:00-4:00 a.m.) and afternoon (3:00-4:00 p.m.). The types and number of colonies were determined in the laboratory, and the pathogenic bacteria were isolated by appropriate bacteriological techniques. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on Mueller-Hinton agar for each potentially pathogenic bacterium isolated. For each bacterium, a total of 12 antibiotics were tested using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The test organism was adjusted to McFarland turbidity standards of 0.5. Data were entered and analyzed using the SPSS version 25 window. Descriptive analysis and one-way analysis of variance were performed. Results: The indoor air bacterial load of Adare General Hospital was found in the range between 210 and 3,224 CFU/m3. The highest indoor air bacterial load was identified from the gynecology ward with a mean of 2,542.5CFU/m3 at p < 0.05. From 100 indoor air samples, a total of 116 bacterial pathogen isolates were obtained. Gram-positive isolates predominated at 72.4%, of which 37.1% were Staphylococcus aureus, 26.7% were coagulase-negative Staphylococci, and the rest 8.6% were Streptococcus pyogenes. The isolation of pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococci showed a high level of resistance to ampicillin. Conclusion: A high bacterial load was found in the study area as compared to different indoor air biological standards. Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococci were the isolated predominant bacteria. Attention should be given to preventing and minimizing those environmental factors that favor the multiplication of bacteria in the indoor environment of a hospital for the safe health of patients, visitors, and staff.

Mental health of healthcare professionals during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic causes healthcare professionals to suffer mental health problems such as psychological distress, anxiety, depression, denial and fear. However, studies are lacking related to Ethiopia and to Africa in general. AIMS: To study the mental health of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia. METHOD: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Jimma University Medical Center among 249 healthcare professionals. The data were collected using self-administered questionnaires between 22 and 28 March 2020. The psychological impact was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale - Revised (IES-R) and symptoms of insomnia were measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Social support was evaluated using the three-item Oslo Social Support Scale. Data were analysed using logistic regression to examine mutually adjusted associations, expressed as adjusted odds ratios. The psychosocial status of the healthcare professionals was predicted using a classification tree model supported by the genetic search method. RESULTS: The prevalence of psychological distress among healthcare professionals was 78.3%. The mean IES-R score was 34.2 (s.d. = 19.4). The ISI score indicated that the prevalence of insomnia was 50.2%. Higher psychological distress was associated with younger age, having insomnia, not having a daily update on COVID-19, and feeling stigmatised and rejected in the neighbourhood because of hospital work. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that, in Ethiopia, the prevalence of psychological distress among healthcare professionals is high and associated with specific sociodemographic risks.

Ultrasound assisted chrome tanning: Towards a clean leather production technology.

Nowadays, there is a growing demand for a cleaner, but still effective alternative for production processes like in the leather industry. Ultrasound (US) assisted processing of leather might be promising in this sense. In the present paper, the use of US in the conventional chrome tanning process has been studied at different pH, temperature, tanning time, chrome dose and US exposure time by exposing the skin before tanning and during tanning operation. Both prior exposure of the skin to US and US during tanning improves the chrome uptake and reduces the shrinkage significantly. Prior exposure of the skin to US increase the chrome uptake by 13.8% or reduces the chrome dose from 8% to 5% (% based on skin weight) and shorten the process time by half while US during tanning increases the chrome uptake by 28.5% or reduces the chrome dose from 8% to 4% (half) and the tanning time to one third compared to the control without US. Concomitantly, the resulting leather quality (measured as skin shrinkage) improved from 5.2% to 3.2% shrinkage in the skin exposed to US prior tanning and to 1.3% in the skin exposed to US during the tanning experiment. This study confirms that US chrome tanning is an effective and eco-friendly tanning process which can produce a better quality leather product in a shorter process time with a lower chromium dose.

Impact of Tannery Effluent on the Self-purification Capacity and Biodiversity Level of a River.

The present study investigates the impact of tannery effluents on the self-purification capacity and the local macroinvertebrate community of one natural stream. As the concentration of chromium and sulfide increased from up- to downstream sites, the reduction of suspended solids, 5-days biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand and nitrification capacity decreased by 61 %, 21 %, 30 % and 74 %, respectively. Similarly, the share of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera on the macroinvertebrate community decreased from 24 % to 0 %. Also the diversity (Simpson's) index and the correlation between the physicochemical parameters, BOD5 reduction, the macroinvertebrate abundance and the chromium concentration underpin the importance of the contamination by tannery effluents for the degradation of the stream habitat quality. In conclusion, although the physicochemical parameters indicate that the self-purification of the river can be maintained for a certain stream section, the biodiversity of the river is severely compromised.

Examining household possession and willingness to pay for the retreatment of ITNs with insecticides among local residences in a malaria endemic area.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the household possession and willingness to pay for the retreatment of ITNs with insecticides among local residences in a malaria endemic area of Ethiopia. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2008 and December 2008 using a pre-tested questionnaire in Azendabo town, Ethiopia. 246 household members were interviewed on the household possession and willingness to pay for the retreatment of ITNs with insecticides. RESULTS: Over all, 96.3% of the respondents had awareness about ITNs. 90.2% had heard about ITNs retreatment with insecticides. However, merely 53.2% of the respondents were willing to pay for ITNs retreatment. Chi-square results revealed a strong association between respondents average monthly income and number of ITNs possessed per household (chi2 = 29.53; p = 0.005; df = 9). Similarly, the association between educational status and frequency of ITNs utilization was statistically significant (chi2 = 13.99; p = 0.029; df = 6). In addition, the chi-square results shows close association between respondents economic status and willingness to pay for ITNs retreatment (chi2 = 12.16; p = 0.006; df = 3). CONCLUSION: Indeed, ITNs are one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against vector-borne diseases particularly malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. The efficiency of ITNs can be enhanced substantially by means of retreatment with insecticides. However, the present study results suggest that nearly half of the respondents were not willing to pay for ITNs retreatment due to lack of their affordability. Therefore, insecticide retreatment campaign should be initiated at free of cost at least yearly once in order to reduce the unbearable burden of malaria.

Removal of fluoride, arsenic and coliform bacteria by modified homemade filter media from drinking water.

An attempt was made to investigate the removal of fluoride, arsenic and coliform bacteria from drinking water using modified homemade filter media. Batch mode experimental study was conducted to test the efficiency of modified homemade filter for reduction of impurities under the operating condition of treatment time. The physico-chemical and biological analysis of water samples had been done before and after the treatment with filter media, using standard methods. Optimum operating treatment time was determined for maximum removal of these impurities by running the experiment for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12h, respectively. The maximum reduction of fluoride, arsenic and coliform bacteria in percentage was 85.60%, 93.07% and 100% and their residual values were 0.72 mg/l, 0.009 mg/l and 0 coliform cells/100ml, respectively after a treatment time of 10h. These residual values were under the permissible limits prescribed by WHO. Hence this could be a cheap, easy and an efficient technique for removal of fluoride, arsenic and coliform bacteria from drinking water.