Browsing by Author "Alemu, Yonas"

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    Magnitude of Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Malaria and Associated Factors among Military Personnel in the Bilate Commando and Airborne Training Center, Southern Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2025-05) Geremew, Efrem; Hailu, Asrat (PhD); Solomon, Gezahegn (PhD); Alemu, Yonas
    Background: Malaria remains a significant global challenge in terms of health and economic impact, particularly in Ethiopia, where it poses serious risks to military personnel. The disease significantly affects soldiers, leading to illness and fatalities that impede military operations, recognizing the role of both asymptomatic and symptomatic soldiers in malaria-prone military settings is essential for effective control and prevention of disease transmission. Objective: To assess the magnitude of asymptomatic and symptomatic malaria and contributing factors among military personnel in the Bilate Commando and Airborne training center. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in May and June 2024, involving 403 military personnel. Data were gathered using semi-structured questionnaires, along with finger prick blood samples for parasite detection through microscopy, RDTs, and qPCR analysis. Data entry and analysis were performed using Epi Info 3.1 and SPSS version 27. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was utilized to explore the relationship between outcome and predictor variables, supported by descriptive statistics. A p-value of < 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. Result: The study involved 403 soldiers, and identified an overall magnitude rate of 37% (149/403), with nearly equal distribution of P. falciparum at 45.6% (68/149) and P. vivax accounted for 44.3% (66/149). Among the 293 asymptomatic soldiers, prevalence rates were 18.1%, 17.7%, and 45.1% using microscopy, RDTs, and qPCR respectively. In contrast, the 110 symptomatic soldiers showed higher prevalence rates of 64.5%, 60.9%, and 87.2% by microscopy, RDTs, and qPCR respectively. The geometric mean parasite density was 101,531 copies/μl by qPCR and 24,378 asexual parasites/μl by microscopy. Significant risk factors for malaria infection included a previous history of malaria (AOR=0.508, 95% CI=0.317-0.813) and receiving educational messages regarding malaria (AOR=3.385, 95% CI: 1.433-7.995), both statistically significant at P < 0.05. Additionally, there was almost perfect concordance between RDT and microscopy results. Conclusion: The study identified high malaria rates among soldiers in military camps, suggesting these sites as transmission hotspots. It recommends including military camps in the national surveillance system to enhance tracking of infection trends
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    NGO-Media Interaction on Addressing Development Issues on the News Media: Malnutrition in Perspective
    (Addis Ababa University, 2015-04) Alemu, Yonas; Lencho, Negeri (PhD)
    This study is an endeavor to combine theoretical and pragmatic understanding of the multiple realities ofNGO-Media relationship and interactions. It tried to investigate the everyday politics that take place between the media and NGOs and its possible implications on the development debate. Poole's Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) and Hirokawa and Gouran's Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making Theory were employed as theoretical framework. To put the implications of the interaction into realistic context of the development debate, the study also engaged the concept of development communication and development journalism. In order to obtain relevant data the study used purely qualitative method and methodology. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, key-informants interviews, focus group di scussion, document reviews and personal observations. A covert observational research method helped the researcher's observations to be integrated into the analysis. Data were collected from seven media institutions and nine Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The media institutions and the Non-Governmental Organizations were selected based on purposeful and convenience sampling methods. The NGOs were selected based on their active intervention programs on malnutrition issues and their relatively active relationship with the media. The media, on the other hand, were selected to be inclusive of all varieties i.e state and private media, print and broadcast media. The combinations of this selection method provided four categories: private print, government print, pri vate broadcast and government broadcast. A total of 7 media organizations, 8 NGOs and 4 key individuals informed the research. The in-depth interviews were conducted with media editors and NGO communication officers. The focus group discussion was conducted with reporters. The collected data were then systematically analyzed using the theoretical framework and related studies. The analysis addressed the researchquestions through thematic categories that have grown out of the data during and after the data collection, Accordingly, the findings of the study led to the understanding that NGO-Media interaction has a number of limitations which contribute to the depoliticizing of the debate on development issues, The findings greatly agree to the premise that NGO-media interaction has very limited collaboration from both sectors, It was found out that their interaction is mostly lacking mutual trust and dominated by prejudices and wrong attitudes, This lack of trust and transparency limits the possible areas of collaboration mainly their watchdog roles thereby resulting depoliticized development debate, The depoliticizing effect may apply across the board to all development issues and sectors though the study was focused on malnutrition only, The study also highlighted that the relationship between NGOs and state media is mostly affected by the relationship between government and NGOs and the government and media which, according to related studies, is not yet of a promising situation, The study strongly suggested proactive dialogue as a first step of identifying their common grounds to work together.