Prevalence of Malaria among Pregnant Women Attending Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

Malaria in pregnant women remains a major public health problem especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Approximately twenty five million pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa live at risk of malaria. The study was carried out between July and August 2021, to determine the prevalence of malaria parasite among pregnant women attending Mohammad Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital Kano. Microscopic examinations of both thick and thin smears were made using Giemsa Stained solution. Out of one hundred and forty blood samples examined, 60(42.9%) were positive for plasmodium falciparum parasite infection. Age group 18-22 years recorded the highest prevalence rate of (17.90%) and the difference between the age group of the pregnant women was statistically significant (P<0.05) .Primigravida women recorded highest infection rate (23.60%). However, those in first trimester recorded the highest prevalence of (25%) followed by those in the second trimester (13.57%). These results show that pregnant women are more predisposed to malaria infection as they are immunosuppressed especially at early stage and as a primigravida and as teenage mothers than multigravida and older mothers. The problem of P. falciparum in pregnant women can be prevented by the preventive package of intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) with sulfadoxine pyrimethamine (SP) at 2 doses given to the pregnant women during their antenatal clinical visits. During this study, the prevalence of malaria infection among pregnant women attending Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital was notably higher. P. falciparum is the most common Plasmodium parasite in this region therefore, more special attention should be directed towards pregnant women who exhibit identified risk factors for malaria infection.