YOUNGER pregnant women, specifically those with lower levels of education and those in low‐income occupations are at a higher risk of malaria infection in Nigeria, a study says.
It, therefore, called for targeted malaria control interventions to increase access to insecticide‐treated nets, provide regular malaria screening and treatment during prenatal visits and promote health education programmes focusing on preventing and managing malaria during pregnancy for these high‐risk groups of pregnant women.
In a new study, researchers identified a high prevalence of malaria parasite among pregnant women with lower levels of education and those in low‐income occupations at booking antenatal care at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
The study found that 26 (8.7%) pregnant women tested positive for malaria parasite and factors such as age, religion, level of education and occupation were significantly related to the prevalence of malaria parasite among pregnant women.
The cross‐sectional study had involved 300 pregnant women. It was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with the level of malaria parasites among pregnant women at a booking clinic conducted between January and April 2021 at the hospital. It was in the June edition of The Health Science Reports.
The study found a statistically significant relationship between parity, gestational age at booking and the date of last pregnancy with malaria parasite level. The vast majority, 266 (88.7%) of the participants, were not anaemic, suggesting they have a low risk of malaria exposure.
Furthermore, most of the patients, 181 (60.3%), did not sleep under insecticide‐treated nets and most of the respondents, 177 (59.0%), did not take antimalarial medication (Fansidar) during their pregnancy.
Interestingly, only a small proportion, 51 (17.0%), reported experiencing malaria symptoms during their pregnancy. Lastly, the malaria test conducted during the study revealed that only 26 (8.7.0%) of the patients tested positive for the infection.
According to the researchers, “These findings significantly affect malaria control programmes, especially those focused on pregnant women. Based on the local epidemiological situation, the study highlights the need for targeted interventions to address malaria in pregnant women.
“Targeted interventions can lead to better health outcomes for pregnant women and their newborns, reducing the burden of malaria in affected communities and contributing to achieving global health targets such as the Sustainable Development Goals. These findings underscore the importance of increasing health literacy and empowering pregnant women to take an active role in their health care.
“Further research is needed to evaluate these interventions’ effectiveness in reducing malaria burden among pregnant women. This could involve conducting randomised controlled trials to assess the impact of interventions on malaria prevalence and assessing the cost‐effectiveness of different interventions to inform policy decisions.”
Pregnant women in Nigeria are particularly vulnerable to malaria infection due to various factors such as poor access to quality healthcare services, poverty and demographic characteristics. But malaria during pregnancy can result in serious consequences for both the mother and the unborn baby, including congenital malaria, low birth weight, abortion and stillbirth.
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