Prevalence of Malaria among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in Primary Health Care Center Rumuodumanya, Rivers State, Nigeria
Iroegbu, Divine Chigozirim
*
Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Austin Edache Abah
Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Fiderikumo Livingstone Gbeinbo
Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study investigated the prevalence of malaria infection among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at Primary Health Care Center Rumuodumanya in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Using standard parasitological methods, blood samples from 302 participants were analyzed through microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained thick and thin blood films. Results revealed an overall malaria prevalence of 26.49% (80/302), with significant variations across trimesters and age groups. First-trimester pregnancies showed the highest infection rate (32.03%), followed by third (27.45%) and second trimesters (15.28%). Age-specific analysis demonstrated striking differences, with the highest prevalence among women ≥40 years (100%, 3/3) and those <20 years (81.82%, 9/11), compared to 21.05% (40/190) in 20-30-year-olds and 28.57% (28/98) in 31-40-year-olds. The relatively low overall prevalence suggests that participants' knowledge of malaria prevention measures, including proper use of insecticide-treated nets and environmental management, may be contributing to reduced transmission. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining and strengthening malaria education programs alongside routine antenatal care services to further mitigate infection risks in this vulnerable population.
Keywords: Malaria parasite, plasmodium, pregnancy, antenatal clinic, gestational age