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IntroductionIodine is essential for regulation of physical growth and neural development. Although, fortification of iodine has been practiced decades before and iodized salt is available, handling and cultural food preparation may affect the content of iodine in the dishes. Moreover, Dega Damot is mountainous area that may lose its iodine via erosion. Therefore, this study aimed at determining the handling and adequacy of iodine in the salt in Dega Damot district, West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia.MethodCommunity based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 24 to November 15, 2017 on 802 households. Stratified multi-stage sampling was employed to select households. A total of 422 and 380 house-holds from low land and high land, respectively took part in the study. For the interview either the husband or the spouse was selected randomly. Data on handling were collected by face-to-face interview using structured questionnaires. The concentration of iodine was determined using Rapid Test Kit. Descriptive statistics were used to describe relevant findings on the handling of iodized salt. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were analyzed to identify associated factors.ResultFrom 802 samples tested, 37 (4.6%) had iodine greater than 15parts per million. The majority (94.5%) of the respondents have been roasting their salt for ‘Dikus’ preparation where as 91.1% of the households stored their salt in open containers. Salts with closed containers (AOR=3.22, CI=1.31-7.89), unroasted salts [AOR=5.23, CI=1.25-22.11], good knowledge on handling [AOR=5.55, CI=1.64-18.77], salts from high land area [AOR=2.11, 9CI=1.02-4.37], were significantly associated with adequacy of iodine Conclusions: Adequate utilization of iodine was very low. Roasting of salt was common. These phenomena may be continued because ‘Dikus’ preparation is cultured in this population. We recommend the supplementation of packed iodized salt in the dishes

Background: Bedbug is a wingless human blood-sucking bug that generally infests houses and beds. Bedbug infestation is prevalent across the country. Despite its prevalence, however, there is scarce information on the epidemiological, psychological, social and public health impacts of the infestation. This lack may arise from the absence of sufficient research in the area. The impetus for this study arose from this recognition. This study therefore assessed the extent of bedbug infestation in five towns in Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia, and its impact on public health in the areas considered in this study.Methods: A community-based cross sectional study was conducted in five towns of Amhara Regional State from 1 March 2015 to 30 June 2016. Bedbug inspection was done following the Michigan manual for prevention and control of bedbug recommendation. The presence of a living or dead bedbugs, their eggs, their skin discarded in shedding, and their fecal stains or droppings were taken as an infestation. In addition, data from households were collected using pretested, structured and interviewer-administered questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were computed to identify associated factors.Results: From the 203 residential institutions surveyed, evidence of prevalence of bedbugs was located in 75.9% (154) houses. From among the infested residents, 87%, 83.1%, and 71.4% had faced one or more psychological, social and health impacts, respectively. Residential institutions in Bahir Dar town administration were 3.4 times more likely to be infested by bedbug than those in Amanuel town (AOR: 3.4; 95% CI: 1-11). The chances that residents of Kobo town administration had to be infested by bedbug were 41 times more than that of the residents in Amanuel town (AOR: 41; 95%CI: 8-206). However, no statistically significant difference was observed between the rates of bedbug infestation and the type of residential institutions.Conclusions: Bedbug infestation was found to be a major public health problem in Bahir Dar, Woreta and Kobo towns. A significant psychological, social and health impact was observed in the communities. Thus, aggressive public health promotion campaigns against bedbug are recommended to empower the communities and equip them with preventive strategies. Moreover, an effective pest management strategy also needs to be made a priority health agenda, in the particular areas of study. A larger study is recommended to assess more in-depth impacts of bedbug infestation on public health [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2017;31(4):251-258]Keywords: Bedbug infestation, Ethiopia