Prevalence and factors associated with ever had road traffic accidents among drivers in Hargeisa city, Somaliland, 2022.

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a major cause of morbidity in Somaliland. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with traffic-related incidents in Hargeisa city. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March 2022, utilizing a mixed approach involving quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Key informant interviews were conducted with 15 government officials, and structured questionnaires were administered to 387 drivers. Cluster sampling and purposive sampling were employed to select drivers and government officials, respectively. Data collection was performed using the Kobo Collect application, followed by cleaning and analysis using IBM SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression, and chi-square tests were utilized for data analysis. The findings revealed an increasing trend of RTAs in Somaliland over the past 11 years (2011-2021). Moreover, the prevalence of RTAs in the past two years alone was determined to be 28.17% (CI: 23.67, 32.63). Factors significantly associated with RTAs in the research area included the type of vehicle, particularly Minibus (AOR = 3.249, CI: 1.022, 10.322) and Vitz (AOR = 2.325, CI: 1.092, 5.494), encountering aggressive behavior from other drivers (AOR = 1.790, CI: 1.013, 3.162), vehicles less than 4 years (AOR = 0.446, CI: 0.258, 0.771), traffic law violations (AOR = 2.726, CI: 1.296, 5.735), and the presence of traffic campaigns (AOR = 0.465, CI: 0.236, 0.917). The study recommends increasing awareness of RTAs among drivers and pedestrians, regular vehicle maintenance checks, enforcement of traffic laws, and increased police presence in road management to reduce fatalities associated with RTAs.

BACTERIOLOGY AND RISK FACTORS OF BACTERIAL KERATITIS IN JIMMA, SOUTHWEST ETHIOPIA.

BACKGROUND: In East Africa, particularly in Ethiopia, bacterial keratitis is a major cause of blindness. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to identify risk factors of bacterial keratitis and the spectrum of bacterial etiologies, and to assess the in-vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of these bacterial isolates at Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A prospective study was employed from January 2012 to June 2012 from which a total of 24 patients with bacterial keratitis were included in the study. Corneal scrapings were collected, transported and microbiologically processed using standard operating procedures. RESULTS: Four different predisposing factors for bacterial keratitis were identified: corneal trauma 9 (37.5%), blepharitis 7 (29.2%), herpetic keratitis, and use of contaminated medications 4. Bilateral corneal infection was found in 5 (20.8%) of the cases. A total of 24 corneal scrapings were collected for microbiological evaluation, of which 20 (83%) had bacterial growth. The isolated bacterial pathogens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa 10 (41.7%), Staphyloccus aureus 5 (20.8%), Serratia marcescens 3 (12.5%), followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae 2 (8.3%). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that 85% of Gram-negative bacilli were susceptible to gentamicin and ciprofloxacin, while 86% of Gram-positive cocci were susceptible to vancomycin and Ciprofloxacin. CONCLUSIONS: Corneal trauma was the most common risk factor for bacterial keratitis followed by blepharitis. Bacteriological analysis of corneal scrapings also revealed that P. aeruginosa was the most common isolate followed by S. aureus; the antibiotic with the highest susceptibility was ciprofloxacin. As drug resistance among bacterial pathogens is an evolving process, routine surveillance and monitoring studies should be conducted to provide an update and most effective empirical treatment for bacterial keratitis.

Tibial hydatidosis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Hydatidosis is a tapeworm infection caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus species. The organs most frequently affected are the liver and the lungs. Primary involvement of the skeleton is rare. The location of hydatid cysts in the tibia is seldom described in the medical literature, and its diagnosis is challenging and often presenting with a pathologic fracture simulating benign bone cystic lesion. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 53-year-old Tigrian woman who developed hydatid disease of the tibia. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of primary bone hydatid disease, especially tibial hydatidosis, is difficult and requires high index of suspicion. Hence, orthopedic surgeons should be aware of this disease. Moreover, it should be considered in preoperative differential diagnosis of destructive bone lesions especially in endemic areas.