Indoor Air Bacterial Load and Contributing Factors in Government and Private Hospitals in Harar, Harar Town, Eastern Ethiopia
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Date
2017-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: Human can be exposed to airborne microorganisms in both residential and
hospital indoor environments. This may lead to adverse health effects with major public health
impacts. Hospital indoor air may contain a vast number of disease causing agents that could be
originate from patients, the staff, visitors, ventilation and outdoors. Hospitalized patients are at a
higher risk of infection due to confined spaces that can accumulate microorganisms and create
favorable condition for their growth and multiplication.
Objectives: to determine and compare indoor bacterial load, and contributing factors in different
wards of the four hospitals in Harar town, 2017.
Methods: A cross sectional study design was used to assess the bacterial load and associated
factors in two government hospitals (Police and Jugula), one teaching hospital (Hiwot-Fana) and
one private hospital (Yemage) in Harar town. Nine inpatient wards and 96 rooms were taken as a
sample to determine the bacterial load. All of the impatient rooms of all wards of these hospitals
were included in the study. To determine the bacterial load of these rooms’ passive air sampling
technique was used. Data was collected using settle plate method by exposing petridish of blood
agar media for an hour to the indoor air of the sampled rooms. Observation checklist was used to
assess the contributing factors that influence the quality of the indoor air.
Results; Based on our finding, airborne bacteria load ranged from 74.2–14,310 CFU/m3. The
highest bacterial load was found in medical ward and the lowest in OR of Hiwot-Fana
specialized teaching hospital. The result of one-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in
mean bacterial load among the four hospitals and also the major wards of these four hospitals. In
those hospitals, S.aureus, micrococcus and CoNS were among the most common bacteria
identified. This study suggests that cleaning frequency, room temperature, a high number of
health and medical students as well as number of visitors were found to be determinants that
affect bacterial load in the sampled rooms.
Conclusion: High bacterial load was recorded in Jugula, Police & Hiwot-Fana specialized
teaching hospitals. The bacterial load of Hiwot-Fana specialized teaching hospital was much
higher the other hospitals. Environmental factors play a major role in the increase of bacterial
load. Thus, this high bacterial load in those hospitals may lead to high infection risk to the
admitted patients.
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Indoor Air Bacterial Load and Contributing Factors