Comparative effectiveness of malaria preventive measures on pregnancy outcome in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

The burden of malaria and its associated problems in pregnancy can be reduced by the use of different malaria preventive measures. This study was conducted to determine the comparative effectiveness of three different malaria preventive measures on populations of parturient in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. Blood samples from maternal placenta were collected from 211 parturient. Blood films were prepared, stained with 10% giemsa and observed for malaria parasites under the microscope. Relevant maternal demographic characteristics were obtained from the parturient and chi-square test was conducted to measure relationships using SPSS version 16.0. A low prevalence of maternal and placental malaria infections were recorded among parturient that used either Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLIN) or Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) during pregnancy (p<0.05), compared with those who did not. Only maternal peripheral blood malaria parasite infection showed a significant relationship (p<0.05) with dosage of IPT taken. Malaria parasite infection of the maternal peripheral, placenta and cord blood were significantly high with increase in gestational age at which IPT was first administered. High proportion of parturient who employed only one preventive measure during pregnancy significantly had maternal, placenta and cord malaria parasite infections (p<0.05) compared with mothers who combined two or more preventive measures. Parturient that received IPT during pregnancy recorded a significantly low (p<0.05) occurrence of poor pregnancy outcome, compared to those that did not. IPT and LLIN proved to be very useful tools in combating malaria infections if used early in pregnancy.

Keywords: prevention, malaria, placenta, cord, gestation, parturient