Prevalence of malaria parasitemia among pregnant women in a general hospital in Abraka Delta State

Abstract

Malaria during the period of pregnancy is a key public health concern, with noteworthy risks for mothers, fetus and even newborn babies. This cross-sectional study was carried out to ascertain the prevalence of malaria and the latent risk factors for the malaria infections among pregnant women in a Government General Hospital in Abraka, Delta State Nigeria. One hundred pregnant women were included in the study after informed verbal consent was obtained. Peripheral blood samples were collected and then thick blood smears prepared and stained with field stains A and B to verify presence of malaria parasitaemia. The relationship between education level, age and trimester of pregnancy, with occurrence of malaria infection during pregnancy were analyzed using the chi-square test. In this study, a total of ninety five percent (95%) of the pregnant women were infected with malaria parasites, with a mean parasite 33.33. The prevalence and the parasite density progressed with age. Further analysis of the data showed that lack of education and environmental factors were greatly associated with malaria infection. Malaria is still the main public health hazard among pregnant women mostly due to lack or inadequate education and limited awareness about malaria prevention measures among this population.

Keywords: Malaria, Pregnant women, parasitaemia, blood, Abraka