Prospective Foodborne Disease Epidemiology Studies in Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Healthcare Worker Study

Barbara Kowalcyk, Silvia Alonso, Lina Gazu, Devin LaPolt, Binyam Azmeraye, Amete Teshale, Nicholas Ngwili, Dessie Angaw, Galana Ayana, Aaron Beczkiewicz, Ariel Garsow, James Barkley, Desalegne Degefaw, Getnet Yimer, Robert Scharff. (31/7/2023). Prospective Foodborne Disease Epidemiology Studies in Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Healthcare Worker Study [Survey Data].

This is a working package under a bigger project named “Estimating the public health burden of Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, and Campylobacter in Ethiopia (TARTARE) funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Kingdom Department for International Development. The overarching goal of TARTARE is to reduce morbidity and mortality from foodborne disease by developing a risk-based framework for making decisions and allocating resources around food safety across the food systems of low- and middle-income countries using Ethiopia as a model. The primary objective of this specific work is to estimate the burden of nontyphoidal Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and Campylobacter in Ethiopia. The project consists of three cross-sectional epidemiological studies: 1) Cross-Sectional Laboratory Study; 2) Cross-Sectional Healthcare Worker Study and 3) Cross-Sectional Community Study. A cross-sectional healthcare worker survey was conducted in the catchment areas served by Yekatit 12, University of Gondar and Hiwot Fana hospitals to estimate multipliers needed to scale up the incidence rates estimates. Healthcare facilities were randomly selected from each geographical stratum using a pre-identified sampling frame. Healthcare facility administrator and healthcare workers were randomly selected from each selected facility and surveyed through a face-to-face interview about their diagnostic and treatment practices for diarrheal illness. The specific aims of this study were to characterize preventive, diagnostic, and treatment practices for diarrhea illness employed by healthcare workers in Ethiopia, estimate patient costs incurred for healthcare procurement and delivery and Develop Burden of Disease (BOD) multipliers to adjust Foodborne Disease incidence estimates for healthcare worker diagnostic and clinical care practices.