Browsing by Author "Zerihun Asefa"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Epidemiological Investigation of Tetanus: A Matched Case Control Study and Evaluation of Treatment Options in Equines in Central Oromia, Ethiopia
    (2017-06) Zerihun Asefa; Teshale Sori
    Although tetanus is considered as an important disease of equines in Ethiopia, little is known about its epidemiology, treatment options and impact on the livelihoods. This epidemiological study was carried out with the main objectives of identification of risk factors, evaluation of efficacy of different treatment options and description of spatiotemporal occurrence and clinical characteristics of the disease. A matched case control study was conducted to identify putative risk factors from cases admitted to the Donkey Sanctuary clinics in Bishoftu and Merkato, at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture of Addis Ababa University. The clinical case records of equines diagnosed with tetanus were retrieved between January 2008 and May 2017. For each case two controls were drawn from the same villages that cases were originated from. Matching was done for age and sex. Randomized control trial was used to evaluate the efficacy of procaine penicillin G, metronidazole and combination of both drugs on the survival and improvement in clinical signs. Isolation of Cl. tetani was done from soil samples collected from the animals’ environment. Analysis of medical records of equines diagnosed with tetanus showed that the disease was spatially aggregated in Gerbicha 28.14 % (n=65) and Gicho Gerbabo 16.02 % (n=37) peasant associations of the Ada’a district. Temporally, the cases of tetanus were found to occur during the summer seasons. There was statistically significant association (p<0.05) observed between the presence of wound and survival of equines affected with tetanus. The grade of tetanus at the time of presentation to clinics was also significantly associated with survival. Certain clinical signs (prognostic signs) were significantly associated with survival of equines diagnosed with tetanus. Besides, duration of illness before hospitalization and duration of hospitalization had significant effect (p<0.001) on the survival. The results of matched case control study revealed that the presence of visible wound increases the risk of acquiring tetanus 10.35 times as compared to those animals which didn’t (p < 0.001). Equines with good and moderate body conditions had respectively, 22.27 and 3.51 times higher risk of acquiring tetanus than equines with poor body conditions. The results of experimental study indicated that metronidazole injection caused highest survival (80 %) followed by combination of metronidazole and procaine penicillin G (66.67%) whereas penicillin G alone showed lowest survival (33.33%). Better improvement of clinical signs of tetanus was also observed in donkeys treated with metronidazole than the other treatment groups. The present study showed that tetanus remains an important disease with higher case fatality and highlights a considerable welfare and economic significance in equines. Probable recommendations to limit the risk factors including management, prevention of wound and education of owners are suggested. Furthermore, epidemiological studies with the elucidation of the use of metronidazole are warranted.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Study on Epidemiology and Economic Impact of Rabies in Humans and Animals in SouthWest Shewa Zone, Waliso, Ethiopia
    (Addis Abeba University, 2024) Tadesse Debele; Zerihun Asefa
    Rabies is an important viral zoonotic disease with a high fatality rate and sever economic impact. Epidemiological information can play an important role in the control and prevention of rabies. The current study investigated the spatio-temporal patterns of rabies and associated risk factors in humans and livestock. In addition, estimates the economic burden of rabies and assesses the community’s knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) and their determinants. A retrospective study was conducted from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023, and data was collected from selected health centers, monthly reports of offices, and questionnaire surveys from selected districts of the south-west Shewa zone, namely Kersa Malima and Sodo Dachi. Out of the 506 respondents interviewed, 23.32% of them were females, and about 80.0% of them had their own dogs. Almost 94.07% of the respondents had heard of rabies and identified the mode of transmission of rabies. Moreover, 41.9% had a good level of knowledge, 63.24% had a good level of positive attitude, and 17.78% had a good level of rabies prevention practices. A total of 345 cases of human rabies exposure were reported from 2019 to 2023 in this zone. The incidence of human rabies exposure cases was 6.07, 6.99, 4.36, 3.11, and 4.0 per 100,000 population from 2019 to 2023, respectively. The age group of 5 to 14 years old was highly exposed (31.93%). A larger number of human rabies exposures were reported in males (62.2%). The results of the spatio-temporal analysis identified Kersa Malima, Sodo Dachi, and Weliso districts as hot spots. Strong peaks of human rabies cases occurred in May and August. The estimated total economic impact of canine rabies was over USD 0.41 million. The largest portion of impacts (98.6%) were made up of Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP)-related costs from the total cost of prevention. The findings of this study indicated that preventive measures considering socio-demographic factors can be targeted to high-risk areas for effective control of rabies. Further studies are needed to develop effective strategies for hotspot areas.