Author Archives: Bernt Lindtjørn

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.

NORHED-SENUPH II Project Workshop and Field Visit: Advancing Malaria Research and Capacity Building

This text is written by the Communication Affairs Directorate at Arba Minch University. See

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ArbaMinchUniversityCAD/

NORHED-SENUPH II held a progress report workshop at Arba Minch University/AMU and a field visit to the Arba Minch area and Mirab Abaya districts on September 19, 2024. The project, which runs from 2022 to 2027, is a continuation of the NORHED-SENUPH I project, which began in 2014.

Dr. Alemayehu Chufamo, Vice President for Academic Affairs at AMU, praised the project’s unique approach to capacity building in sponsoring students and staff for MSc and PhD programs. He also expressed his gratitude to Professor Bernt Lindtjørn for devising a mechanism that makes the research process effective.

Professor Bernt Lindtjørn from the University of Bergen discussed the project’s successes, challenges, and focus areas to sustain the partnership. He mentioned that NORHED-SENUPH II strategically strengthens AMU’s research platforms on vector-borne diseases, advances lab infrastructure and equipment, and supports students and staff focusing on entomology, molecular biology, and immunology research. AMU should work hard to organize all potential to sustain future NORHED funds by promoting scientific and novel ideas, developing new scientific networks and executing the project tasks as planned, he advised.

The local project coordinator and senior researcher, Dr. Fekadu Massebo, presented the project’s progress report and the current status of the malaria trial. He explained that they are implementing door and window mesh screening and animal treatment intervention to check their impact on malaria epidemiology and fill some of the gaps in the current malaria control strategies, such as drug-resistant malaria parasites, changes in mosquito populations and behaviour, and limitations in current diagnostic and treatment options. These challenges require innovative strategies, Dr. Fekadu noted.

The field visit to the trial sites allowed the participants to observe the firsthand project’s activities. It was observed that house mesh-screening has been in place and the communities’ acceptance is exceptionally high which makes the future interventions seem promising. The trial’s unique aspect is bridging the public and veterinary health sectors to combat malaria; the trial evaluation will span 18 months and the findings will be shared with all stakeholders.

The NORHED-SENUPH II project focuses on building research capacity, supporting existing MSc programs, and expanding support for the PhD program on Infectious Diseases. The project is conducting a large malaria trial in the Southern Rift Valley of Ethiopia. The trial aims to combat malaria by using mesh screens on houses to prevent mosquitoes from entering and treating animals with ivermectin to kill the mosquitoes they feed on. Over 8,000 people in 12 Kebeles in the Arba Minch and Mirab Abaya districts are included in the trial. Several stakeholder meetings have also been held to enhance community participation and ownership.