Malaria Prevalence among Pregnant Women in Relation to Parity, Gestation Period and Age in Gombe, North Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

This study was conducted in order to determine malaria prevalence in relation to parity, gestational period and age of the pregnant women in Gombe, Nigeria. Three hundred and eighty four (384) pregnant women who registered for antenatal care in five randomly selected  health care facilities (Tudun Wada Primary Health Care, Idi Health Clinic, Madaki Health Clinic, Pantami Primary Health Care And Gombe Town Maternity) residing within Gombe Local Government Area, Gombe State, Nigeria, constituted the study population. Five (5) ml of the maternal peripheral blood was obtained from each participant by the use of a sterile syringe and placed in a sterile Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid (EDTA) container for laboratory analysis. The malaria parasite was detected by microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained thick blood films. A high prevalence of 78.4% was observed among the studied population, with the primigravidae having higher prevalence (87.8%) than the multigravidae (73.6%). Women in second trimester recorded the highest prevalence (81.6%) followed by those in third trimester (76.4%), then the first trimester (68.4%). In relation to age, younger women (17 – 20 years) had the highest prevalence (88.4%) of malaria parasitaemia followed by 21-25 years category (79.1%), while those above 25years had the lowest prevalence (67.7%).significant association between age and malaria infection was established. The vulnerable age group need to be cautious of their exposure to mosquitoes’ bites so as to reduce the pressure on the already overstretched health facilities.