Author Archives: Bernt Lindtjørn

Publications Senuph

2026

Hibstu, D. T., et al. (2026). “Prevalence of diabetes mellitus among adults aged 45 years and above in rural Sidama, Ethiopia: a two-step community-based cross-sectional study.” BMJ Open 16(1): e109628. See also Desalegn Tsegaw

Eligo, N., et al. (2026). “Molecular xenomonitoring for identifying Plasmodium parasites and blood meal sources of mosquitoes in malaria endemic villages adjacent to the southern Rift Valley Lakes, South Ethiopia.” Sci Rep. See also Nigatu Eligo

Birhanu, B. E., et al. (2026). “Detecting undiagnosed hypertension using repeated blood pressure measurements: a cross-sectional study in rural Sidama Region, Ethiopia.” BMJ Open 16(2): e109851. See also Bethlehem Eshetu

Melaku, M., et al. (2026). “Efficacy of primaquine-chloroquine combination on Plasmodium vivax transmission and parasite clearance in Ethiopia: a randomized controlled trial.” Parasite Epidemiology and Control 33.

Zewde, Z., et al. (2026). “Community reservoirs of malaria parasites and gametocytes in Arba Minch district, southern Rift Valley, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.” Malaria Journal.

2025

Kumsa, T., et al. (2025). “Efficacy and gametocyte carriage in Plasmodium falciparum cases treated with artemether-lumefantrine alone versus with single-dose primaquine in Ethiopia: a randomized controlled study.” Acta Trop: 107800.

Training on the New Laboratory Machine: Digital microscope to diagnose malaria (20.07.2025-25.07.2025)

Associate Professor Fekadu Massebo reports:

“I am excited to announce the successful completion of training on the NOUL miLab Platform at Arba Minch University’s Medical Entomology and Vector Control Laboratory. 

This advanced digital platform, a valuable addition to our research efforts, enhances our laboratory’s capabilities and aims to address challenges in malaria diagnosis associated with traditional microscopy, a significant issue in malaria detection. 

The Noul digital microscope (see the picture of the screen below), with its improved accuracy, efficiency, and consistency, enhances confidence in our research. 

My team showed enthusiasm during the training, quickly applying their new skills to real tasks. This reflects their commitment to improving our laboratory’s quality and embracing innovative technologies. 

The successful completion of this training marks an important milestone. We are excited about the potential of the NOUL miLab Platform to support our mission in malaria research and control, and we look forward to exploring its full capabilities. 

I also extend my heartfelt thanks to Mr. Berhanu Lulu from Hawassa University for his exceptional training and expertise, which have been instrumental in our successful adoption of the NOUL miLab Platform”.

Training on qPCR: Advancing Human Capacity at the Medical Entomology and Vector Control Laboratory (09/01/2025 to 09/07/2025) 

Associate Professor Fekadu Massebo writes: 

“I am excited to announce the successful completion of qPCR training at Arba Minch University’s Medical Entomology and Vector Control Laboratory. This advanced training enhances our laboratory’s capabilities and improves diagnostic efficiency. Our laboratory, which already has an expert in conventional PCR (nested PCR), now expands its capacity with qPCR.

I am proud to share that our team, full of enthusiasm, quickly applied their newly acquired skills to real-world tasks during the training.

Completing this training marks a significant milestone, and we are committed to exploring additional tools to support our mission in malaria research and control. We look forward to continuing our professional development and staying at the forefront of scientific progress.

I sincerely thank Mr. Nigatu Negash from AHRI for his invaluable training and expertise. Our collaboration with AHARI has been incredibly valuable, and I am genuinely grateful for it.

I also appreciate the support from the NORHED SENUPH II project in building our capacity.” 

The photos show the ongoing training.

Treatment of malaria

Researchers in Arba Minch investigated whether adding the drug primaquine (PQ) to the standard malaria treatment, artemether-lumefantrine (AL), would improve outcomes for patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The results show that AL alone is already very effective in clearing malaria parasites. Adding PQ doesn’t improve cure rates but does help gametocytes disappear faster, which may reduce transmission.

Kumsa T, Jima B, Tamiru G, Getu R, Melaku M, Tesfaye Y, et al. Efficacy and gametocyte carriage in Plasmodium falciparum cases treated with artemether-lumefantrine alone versus with single-dose primaquine in Ethiopia: a randomized controlled study. Acta tropica. 2025:107800. Epub 20250821. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2025.107800

The paper can be downloaded here:

Tinsae articleDownload

Climate and women’s nutrition

New publication:

Climate variability, crop production, and household food security are causally linked to women’s nutritional status, indicating that rural populations relying on rain-fed subsistence farming are vulnerable to climate impacts.

Gari T, Mezgebe B, Belayneh M, Mersha Y, Lindtjørn B. Effect of climate variability, crop production, and household food insecurity on malnutrition among women: A mediation analysis from a drought-prone area in Southern Ethiopia. PLOS Climate. 2025;4(6). doi: 10.1371/journal.pclm.00004

New publications

The Senuph project has recently got three new papers:

Endriyas, M., et al. (2025). “A decline in the coverage and utilization of long-lasting insecticidal nets in Southern Ethiopia: A repeated cross-sectional study.” PLoS One 20(4).

Gebretsadik, A., et al. (2025). “Cluster randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a package of community-based interventions on continuum of maternal and newborn healthcare in Sidama, Ethiopia: The SiMaNeH trial protocol.” PLoS One 20(4): e0310341.

Yilma, M. T., et al. (2025). “Effect of Amaranth-Containing Dietary Intervention in Improving Hemoglobin Concentration: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Public Health Rev 4

Good progress on the Senuph project

The South Ethiopia Network of Universities in Public Health (SENUPH) is a collaborative initiative to enhance public health education and research capacity in southern Ethiopia.

A recent mid-term evaluation concluded, “In SENUPH II, all planned research groups were formed, including senior researchers, PhD candidates, and master’s students. Their research outputs, with a high percentage of published work by master’s graduates, highlighted the program’s effectiveness. Furthermore, collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia ensured that the research had direct implications for national health policies. “

Publications from the project can be seen here.

The picture shows PhD students from Arba Minch and Hawassa universities participating in epidemiological training courses while visiting Bergen.

Dr. Aschenaki Zerihun Kea defended his PhD thesis

Dr. Aschenaki Zerihun Kea defended his PhD thesis on October 22. He received this joint degree from Hawassa University in Ethiopia and the University of Bergen.

The thesis: «Maternal mortality in Sidama Region, southern Ethiopia: Results from surveys on mortality and the coverage of available interventions,» is available for download from Bergen Open Research Archive here: https://bora.uib.no/bora-xmlui/handle/11250/3155973

Yesterday, we visited his work at Yirga Alem Hospital Medical College and discussed the possibility of continuing research in the Sidama Region.

 

Later, we celebrated his excellent achievement with good Ethiopian food in Hawassa.