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Background: Status epilepticus (SE) is a serious neurological problem in children. In sub-Saharan Africa, the high incidence of febrile illnesses and poor health care system influence the outcome of convulsive status epilepticus. However, in Ethiopia there have been few outcome studies of convulsive status epilepticus. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the etiology, clinical features and short-term outcomes of childhood convulsive status epilepticus in Ethiopia. Methods: A cross sectional study based on hospital-based retrospective data from 2013 to 2018 was conducted. A total of 82 children diagnosed with epilepsy were included. The data were collected using a data extraction format and entered into SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were applied. Results: Eighty-two patients participated during the study period. Generalized tonic clonic seizure was the commonest type of seizure (86.6%). Pyogenic meningitis and malaria were the leading cause of status epilepticus accounting for 26.9% and 9.8% respectively. The proportion of good recovery was 61% (95% CI; 51.2 to 73%). In the multivariate analysis co-morbidity was found to have significant association with short-term treatment protocols (AOR=3.354; 95%CI: 1.018, 11.045). Conclusion: Acute symptomatic status epilepticus was the common cause in all age groups and most patients arrived late for medical care. Co-morbidity was significantly associated with short-term treatment and poor outcomes. Hence, there is a need for education of caregivers and patients with co-morbidities and indications for extended care. In addition, early diagnosis and management of malaria and meningitis is important., Ethiopian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Vol. 12 No. 2 (2022)

Background: While evidences existed on the effectiveness of community engagement (CE) in improving outcomes and quality of health care, little is known about the best available community engagement platforms for Compassionate and Respectful Care (CRC) service improvement. Objective: To explore CE platforms to improve CRC, the facilitators and barriers to successfully implementing these platforms. Methods: Implementation research was done using phenomenological study design. An interview guideline was used to collect the data. An audio recorder was used, and field notes were also taken. Twenty Key Informants were interviewed by health experts about CE. Audio records were transcribed, and thematic analysis of the text data was performed using qualitative data analysis software Atlas-ti -v-8. Results: Six CE platforms were identified. These are: the Community Score Card (CSC), Health Development Army (HDA), community forum, women’s conference, citizens’ charter, and health facilities governance board. The existence of HDA, presence of a conducive cultural environment, the readiness of the community to inform service gaps, the existence of effective facilitators (individuals) to mobilize the community, and the presence of Health Extension Workers (HEWs) within a community were available opportunities explored for effective community engagement. Distortion of the public's perception toward the HDA, lack of explicit structure for CRC, and the limited attention by leadership to engage the community for CRC were some identified barriers that hindered CE for CRC success. Conclusion: Among the major CE platforms, the CSC and HDA were reported by most of the study participants. The existence of HDA, a conducive cultural environment, and the HEWs embedded within a community were identified facilitators. The public distortion toward the HDA and the limited attention by leadership to engage the community for CRC were among the identified barriers. Therefore, to effectively engage the public for the CRC improvement, it is important to use the CE platforms in a way that convinces the public, develop a clear structure for implementing CE for CRC, and avail finances and other necessary resources for CE implementation., Ethiopian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Vol. 12 No. 1SpecialIssue (2022): Ethiopian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences

Background: Even though health staffs’ attitudes have been identified as a main factor in influencing the proper functioning of community engagement, evidences showed that perception of health workers about community engagement for improving the Compassionate Respectful and Caring (CRC) service is very low in Ethiopia. The study aimed to explore the health staffs’ perception towards community engagement for the improvement of CRC in Sululta district, Oromia special zone, Ethiopia. Methods: A phenomenological study design was used. The Key Informant Interviews and an in-depth interview were conducted with a total of 20 participants using an interview guide. A thematic analysis was done guided by ATLAS Ti-8 qualitative data management software. Results: Two staffs’ perspectives on the role of community engagement in improving CRC have identified. Many participants mentioned that community engagement has a role in the success of the CRC. Some of the main justifications of the participants who believed in community engagement effectiveness in improving CRC were: it enables the public to inform health service gaps, strengthened bond/trust among community and health facilities, and build a sense of ownership among the public and health facilities. On the other hand, some argued that community engagement does not improve the CRC. Participants who doubted the effectiveness of community engagements mentioned the lack of necessary infrastructure and medical supplies as the main reason. Conclusion: Many participants in this study recognized the benefits of community participation for the improvement of the CRC. This study identified different ways in which the community can engage to improve the CRC services. Among the effective ways of community engagement that participant in this study believed are: 1) The community can provide constructive feedback that helps health facilities address CRC-related gaps. 2) The public can create conducive conditions for CRC improvement through material or financial contributions. 3) A sense of trust and respect can be strengthened among health care providers and clients through a series of public forums. 4) The community can monitor the health care provision by caregivers at health facilities. The findings of this study revealed opportunities to design a variety of strategies to improve the CRC through community engagement. However, it is important to address some of the challenges raised such as shortage of medical supply, and lack of basic infrastructure., Ethiopian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Vol. 12 No. 1SpecialIssue (2022): Ethiopian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences

Additional file 1: Forest plot and meta-regression result of the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths infections by region and species.

Introduction Curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae), and Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) can lead to adverse pregnancy and birth outcome. There are limited data on the prevalence and correlate of STI in Ethiopia, yet pregnant women are not screened for curable STI. Hence in this study, the prevalence of STIs and associated risk factors were assessed. Methodology A cross- sectional study was conducted on consecutive women attending the delivery ward at the Hawassa comprehensive and specialized hospital. Vaginal swabs collected at the time of labor and delivery were tested for C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae and T. vaginalis using GeneXpert. Study participants responded to a questionnaire about their previous and current obstetric history and socio-demographic characteristics. Possible independent factors for curable STIs were assessed by chi-square, bivariable, and multivariable, logistic regression. Results Of the 350 vaginal swabs tested, 51 (14.6%, 95% CI: 10.9–18.3) were positive for one or more curable STIs. The prevalence of C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae and T. vaginalis were 8.3%, 4.3%, and 3.1%, respectively. STIs was associated (p

Additional file 1. Connected Woreda checklist and point allocations.