Malaria prevention practices and delivery outcome: a cross sectional study of pregnant women attending a tertiary hospital in northeastern Nigeria.
Malaria in pregnancy remains a public health problem in Nigeria. It causes maternal anaemia and adversely affects birth outcome leading to low birth weight, abortions and still births. Nigeria has made great strides in addressing the prevention and control of malaria in pregnancy. However, recent demographic survey shows wide disparities in malaria control activities across the geopolitical zones. This situation has been compounded by the political unrest and population displacement especially in the Northeastern zone leaving a significant proportion of pregnant women at risk of diseases, including malaria. The use of malaria preventive measures during pregnancy and the risk of malaria parasitaemia, anaemia and low birth weight babies were assessed among parturient women in an insurgent area.



A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 184 parturient women at Federal Medical Centre, Nguru in Yobe state, between July and November 2014. Information on demographics, antenatal care and prevention practices was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Maternal peripheral and the cord blood samples were screened for malaria parasitaemia by microscopy of Giemsa-stained blood films. The presence of anaemia was also determined by microhaemocrit method using the peripheral blood samples. Data was analysed using descriptive and analytical statistics.



Prevalence of malaria parasitaemia, anaemia and low birth weight babies was 40.0, 41.0 and 37.0 %, respectively, and mothers aged younger than 25 years were mostly affected. Eighty (43.0 %) of the women received up to two doses of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp-SP) during pregnancy and most, 63 (83.0 %) of those tested malaria positive received less than these. Presence of malaria infection at antenatal clinic enrollment (OR: 6.6; 95 % CI: 3.4-13.0), non-adherence to direct observation therapy for administration of IPTp-SP (OR: 4.6; 95 % CI: 2.2-9.5) and receiving <two doses of IPTp-SP (OR: 3.1; 95 % CI: 1.5-6.7) were significant risk factors for malaria parasitaemia at delivery.



The high prevalence of malaria in pregnancy and the adverse outcome in this insurgence area reflects the poor access of pregnant women to preventive measures such as IPTp-SP. Effort to reach displaced pregnant women and supervision of delivery of malaria preventive measures by healthcare providers should be intensified.
Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, Abuja, Nigeria. hamzaumar752@yahoo.com.
Hamzat U
HU
Muhammad
Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, Abuja, Nigeria.
Fatima J
FJ
Giwa
Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, Abuja, Nigeria.
Adebola T
AT
Olayinka
Department of Medical Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, Zaria, Nigeria.
Shakir M
SM
Balogun
Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, Abuja, Nigeria.|Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
IkeOluwapo
I
Ajayi
Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, Abuja, Nigeria.|National Malaria Elimination Programme, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria.
Olufemi
O
Ajumobi
Department of Medical Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, Zaria, Nigeria.
Patrick
P
Nguku
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008853:Microscopy; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000175:diagnosis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D037841:Pregnant People; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D055815:Young Adult
Anaemia; Intermittent preventive treatment; Low birth weight; Malaria parasitaemia; Parturient mothers