Document is current

Article History

Received: 16 December 2025

Accepted: 24 February 2026

First Online: 5 March 2026

Declarations

:

: The study involving human participants was reviewed and approved by the Research and Ethics Committee of the Medical Laboratory Sciences Department, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University (approval no.: DRERC-490-20-MLS), and strictly adhered to the ethical principles of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki. Informed written consent was obtained from adults aged ≥ 16 years (self-provided) and minors aged < 16 years (provided by parents or Legal Authorized Representatives [LARs]) after explaining the study objective. Only voluntary participants were enrolled. To protect data confidentiality, subjects were identified by unique codes, and only authorized personnel could access the data.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.