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Michael Assefa Berhane,1 Ketemaw Zewdu Demilew,2 Abel Sinshaw Assem2 1Department of Ophthalmology, St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 2Department of Optometry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Ketemaw Zewdu Demilew, Department of Optometry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, PO Box 196, Gondar, Ethiopia, Tel +251-918150629, Email zewdukt@gmail.comPurpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of myopia among medical students at the University of Gondar College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Northwest Ethiopia.Patients and Methods: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Gondar College of Medicine and Health Sciences from June 20 to August 15, 2021. A simple random sampling technique with proportional allocation was used to select 492 students. Interviewer-administered questionnaire, Snellen acuity chart, pinhole, retinoscope and direct ophthalmoscope were used to collect the data. The data were entered to EpiData version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were summarized by measures of central tendency. Variables with p-value ≤ 0.2 in bivariable regression were entered into a multivariable logistic regression model. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used and variables with p-values < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.Results: A total of 492 respondents participated giving a response rate of 98.3%. The prevalence of myopia was found to be 16.7% (95% CI = 12.8– 19.4%). Urban residents (AOR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.28– 6.21), family history of myopia (AOR = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.33– 4.54), near-work activity of 5– 7 hours (AOR = 2.41; 95% CI: 1.31– 5.76) and ≥ 8 hours (AOR = 4.35; 95% CI: 1.96– 9.66), outdoor activity for < 3 hours (AOR = 1.65 95% CI: (1.14– 4.53), were significantly associated with myopia.Conclusion: The prevalence of myopia among medical students at the University of Gondar College of Medicine and Health Sciences was high. Urban residency, positive family history, longer time spent on near-work activities and less outdoor activity were positively associated with myopia.Keywords: myopia, medical students, Gondar, Ethiopia

Background: Neonatal deaths now account for 47% of all deaths in children younger than 5 years globally. More than a third of newborn deaths are due to preterm birth complications, which is the leading cause of death. Understanding the causes and factors contributing to neonatal deaths is needed to identify interventions that will reduce mortality. We aimed to establish the major causes of preterm mortality in preterm infants in the first 28 days of life in Ethiopia., Methods: We did a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study in five hospitals in Ethiopia. Study participants were preterm infants born in the study hospitals at younger than 37 gestational weeks. Infants whose gestational age could not be reliably estimated and those born as a result of induced abortion were excluded from the study. Data were collected on maternal and obstetric history, clinical maternal and neonatal conditions, and laboratory investigations. For neonates who died of those enrolled, consent was requested from parents for post-mortem examinations (both complete diagnostic autopsy and minimally invasive tissue sampling). An independent panel of experts established the primary and contributory causes of preterm mortality with available data., Findings: Between July 1, 2016, to May 31, 2018, 4919 preterm infants were enrolled in the study and 3852 were admitted to neonatal intensive care units. By 28 days of post-natal age, 1109 (29%) of those admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit died. Complete diagnostic autopsy was done in 441 (40%) and minimally invasive tissue sampling in 126 (11%) of the neonatal intensive care unit deaths. The main primary causes of death in the 1109 infants were established as respiratory distress syndrome (502 [45%]); sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis (combined as neonatal infections; 331 [30%]), and asphyxia (151 [14%]). Hypothermia was the most common contributory cause of preterm mortality (770 [69%]). The highest mortality occurred in infants younger than 28 weeks of gestation (89 [86%] of 104), followed by infants aged 28-31 weeks (512 [54%] of 952), 32-34 weeks (349 [18%] of 1975), and 35-36 weeks (159 [8%] of 1888)., Interpretation: Three conditions accounted for 89% of all deaths among preterm infants in Ethiopia. Scale-up interventions are needed to prevent or treat these conditions. Further research is required to develop effective and affordable interventions to prevent and treat the major causes of preterm death., Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation., (Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)