Research
Magnitude of Malaria Infection in Ethiopia
Background: Malaria is a major public health problem in worldwide and causes high morbidity and mortality. Studying its prevalence is necessary to implement effective control measures. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria in Arba Minch hospital, Ethiopia. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted from January to April, 2010. A well designed and structured questionnaire and Laboratory investigation were used to collect data. Data was processed and analyzed with SPSS version16.0. Results: A total of 400 patients clinically suspected to have malaria were examined with overall prevalence of malaria was 7% (28 malaria cases out of 400 patients) of which 18 (64.3%) were positive for Plasmodium falciparum and 7 (25%) for Plasmodium vivax; the remaining 3 (10.7%) showed mixed infections of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Males 16 (4%) were more infected than females 12 (3%). Gender had statistically significant association with malaria infection (p<0.005). All age groups were infected but high prevalence observed in age groups 15–19, followed by 20–29 years old. Conclusion: This study showed that high prevalence of malaria was observed. Therefore health professionals and administra- tors have to focus on giving health education on prevention and control of malaria.
Drug Resistance Patterns of Bacterial Pathogens from Adult Patients with Pneumonia in Arba Minch Hospital, South Ethiopia
Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is associated with high mortality. Drug resistance is common in countries where the alternative treatments are limited and available drugs are misused. In resource limited countries; it is wise to determine antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of common bacterial pathogens of Community acquired pneumonia. Methods: A cross sectional study conducted at Arba Minch Hospital, Southern Ethiopia from February to December 2013. Sputum specimens were collected; microbiological investigations and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed using standard procedures. Data was processed and analyzed with SPSS version16.0. Results: Out of 170 cases, only 73 (42.9%) were culture positive. Majority of tested bacterial isolates (>86%) were sensitive to Ceftriaxone and Ciprofloxacin. Most Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates (60%) were resistant to Oxacillin. Most of Staphylococcus aureus and gram negative bacterial isolates were resistance to Tetracycline (100%), Penicillin (83.3%), Ampicillin (50-100%), Doxycycline (50-100%), and Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (83.3-100%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed to most (60.3%) bacterial isolates. Conclusion: Antimicrobial resistance including Multidrug resistance was observed to a number of commonly used antibiotics, such as trimethoprim- sulfamethoxazole, penicillin groups and doxycycline. Hence, periodic monitoring of drug resistant pattern is essential for better management of community acquired pneumonia.
