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Abinet Teshome,1 Mekuria Asnakew Asfaw,2 Chuchu Churko,2 Manaye Yihune,3 Yilma Chisha,3 Birhanu Getachew,4 Nebiyu Negussu Ayele,5 Fikre Seife,6 Tamiru Shibiru,7 Zerihun Zerdo2 1Arba Minch University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Biomedical Science, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 2Arba Minch University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Collaborative Research and Training Center for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 3Arba Minch University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 4Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Bacterial, Parasitic and Zoonotic Diseases Research Directorate, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 5Federal Ministry of Health, Department of Health System Research, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 6Federal Ministry of Health, Disease Prevention and Control Directorate, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 7Arba Minch University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Arba Minch, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Abinet Teshome Email ableteshe@yahoo.comBackground: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is one of the most debilitating and disfiguring diseases common in Ethiopia. In order to alleviate this problem Mass drug administration (MDA) has been given once a year for the public living in endemic sites. Despite this fact there might be a difference between reported coverage and the actual coverage on the ground due to various errors, so assessing the actual coverage through coverage validation survey appears imperative.Objective: The aim of this survey was to assess the difference between the reported coverage and actual coverage of Ivermectin (IVM) and Albendazole (ALB) treatment given for Lymphatic Filariasis in Itang special district of Gambella regional state, Ethiopia.Setting: The study was conducted in Itang special district of Gambella region, the district was purposively selected for lymphatic filariasis treatment coverage survey. Eligible individuals aged 5 and above were interviewed. Data about the children were collected from parents or guardians and analyzed using STATA.Results: The survey showed that the coverage for LF treatment was 81.5%. From 825 individuals that reported that they were offered the treatment 823 (99.6%) swallowed the drug. The coverage in school age children (5– 14) shows significant difference with treatment coverage in individuals aged 15 and above (p< 0.001) in the last mass drug administration campaign. The main reason for not being offered preventive chemotherapy (PC) during the mass drug administration campaigns was missing class during the MDA (37.2%).Conclusion: The treatment coverage is higher than the recommended coverage of 65% of the target population. The coverage in school age children (5– 14) showed significant difference with treatment coverage in individuals aged 15 and above. Improving the coverage level beyond this can significantly contribute to the LF elimination goal.Keywords: lymphatic filariasis, ivermectin, albendazole, coverage

Chuchu Churko,1 Manaye Yihune,2 Abinet Teshome,3 Yilma Chisha,2 Birhanu Getachew,4 Markos Sleshi,4 Mekuria Asnakew Asfaw,1 Tamiru Shibiru,5 Nebiyu Negussu Ayele,6 Fikre Seife,6 Zerihun Zerdo,1 Alemayehu Bekele Kassahun1 1Collaborative Research and Training Center for Neglected Tropical Diseases, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 2Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 3Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 4Ethiopia Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 5School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 6Neglected Tropical Diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Chuchu Churko Email churkochuchu2005@gmail.comBackground: Onchocerciasis is the second leading cause of blindness globally next to trachoma, thus eliminating the infection is an important health priority. It is estimated that 15.7 million people are at risk of infection in different parts of Ethiopia. Mass drug administration with ivermectin at community and school level is the basis for control and elimination of onchocerciasis. This study was aimed at validating onchocerciasis treatment coverage in the selected districts of Ethiopia.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was employed in Itang special and Wombera districts of Ethiopia, from April 1 to 30, 2019 G.C. We used a coverage validation survey builder tool to compute sample size. Individuals aged five years old and above were eligible population. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel and exported to STATA 14 for cleaning and analyses. A chi-square test was used to note statistical association of the outcome variables with independent variables.Main Findings: A total of 3765 individuals were interviewed. Of these, 3244 were offered onchocerciasis treatment. The overall treatment coverage of onchocerciasis in the two selected districts of Ethiopia was 85.9% of the eligible population (3235/3765) (95% CI, 84.8%, 87%). There was significant difference between the two districts in terms of ivermectin offering (X2=70.467, P< 0.001). School attendance was also significantly associated with treatment offering and swallowing status (X2=77.29, P< 0.001; and X2=30.581, P< 0.001). The main reported reasons for not being offered ivermectin were “being absent” (40.86%) and “not knowing about the mass drug administration” (MDA) (25.29%).Conclusion: In conclusion, the treatment coverage of onchocerciasis in this survey was higher than minimum national desired therapeutic coverage. Treatment coverage in Wombera was higher than Itang special district. In addition, children who attended school had a higher chance of swallowing the drug.Keywords: ivermectin, onchocerciasis, coverage survey, mass drug administration

The Coronavirus pandemic is recording unprecedented deaths worldwide. The temporal distribution and burden of the disease varies from setting to setting based on economic status, demography and geographic location. A rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases is being reported in Africa as of June 2020. Ethiopia reported the first COVID-19 case on 13 March 2020. Limited molecular laboratory capacity in resource constrained settings is a challenge in the diagnosis of the ever-increasing cases and the overall management of the disease. In this article, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) shares the experience, challenges and prospects in the rapid establishment of one of its COVID-19 testing laboratories from available resources. The first steps in establishing the COVID-19 molecular testing laboratory were i) identifying a suitable space ii) renovating it and iii) mobilizing materials including consumables, mainly from the Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) research team at the EPHI. A chain of experimental design was set up with distinct laboratories to standardize the extraction of samples, preparation of the master mix and detection. At the commencement of sample reception and testing, laboratory contamination was among the primary challenges faced. The source of the contamination was identified in the master mix room and resolved. In summary, the established COVID-19 testing lab has tested more than 40,000 samples (August 2020) and is the preferred setting for research and training. The lessons learned may benefit the further establishment of emergency testing laboratories for COVID-19 and/or other epidemic/pandemic diseases in resource-limited settings.