Abstract
BackgroundMalaria during pregnancy remains a serious public health problem, with substantial risks for the mother, her foetus and the newborn. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria and possible risk factors for malaria infection among pregnant women in a semi-urban area in north-western Nigeria. Pregnant women are among the most susceptible to malaria infection. Knowledge of their malaria infection status is an important yardstick to measure the effectiveness of any malaria control programme.MethodsWe conducted a cross sectional study in the semi-urban area of Argungu, Kebbi State Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty five pregnant women were included in the study after informed verbal consent was obtained. For each participant, the socio-demographic profile, stage of pregnancy and attitude to the use of insecticide- treated nets (ITNs) were investigated using a questionnaire. Peripheral blood samples were collected and thick blood smears were prepared and stained with Giemsa stains to check for malaria parasitaemia. The associations between age, education level and use of ITNs with occurrence of malaria infection during pregnancy were analysed using the chi-square test.ResultsOne hundred and six (41.6%) out of 255 pregnant women were infected with malaria parasites, with a mean parasite density of 800 parasitesμl−1. It was found that prevalence and parasite density decreased as age increased. The chi-square test indicated that a lack of education and non-usage of ITNs were significantly associated with malaria infection.ConclusionMalaria is still a major public health issue among pregnant women mainly due to illiteracy and non -compliance to using ITNs. Increasing awareness about malaria preventive measures and early attendance of antenatal care services will help to reduce malaria and, consequently, its associated morbidities and mortalities.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40249-015-0054-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Malaria during pregnancy remains a serious public health problem, with substantial risks for the mother, her foetus and the newborn
It was observed that maternal age was associated with malaria prevalence, showing that a pregnant woman of younger maternal age is at a greatest risk of malaria infection, as well as having the highest parasite densities
[19] It has been consistently demonstrated that infection rates are higher in women in their first and second pregnancies, with lower rates in later pregnancies [20]. This is understandable as pregnancy is naturally accompanied by general immune suppression that may cause loss of acquired immunity to malaria especially among primigravidae. This is because they lack the specific immunity to placental malaria that is acquired from exposure to malaria parasites during pregnancy [4]
Summary
Malaria during pregnancy remains a serious public health problem, with substantial risks for the mother, her foetus and the newborn. Malaria in pregnancy is caused mainly by the specie P. falciparum, which is the most common species in Africa.In malaria endemic regions, individuals are constantly exposed to malaria parasites through bites of the aforementioned mosquitoes. This frequent exposure leads to the development of an effective anti-disease immunity, which prevents life-threatening parasite burdens and suppresses the pro-inflammatory responses that cause illness [1] Malaria infection during pregnancy is a major public health problem- especially in tropical and sub-tropical regions; with substantial risks for the mother, her foetus and. Beyond the post-partum period, the long term consequences of malaria during pregnancy on the infant include poor development, behavioural problems, short stature and neurological deficits [7]
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