Prevalence of Malaria Parasite Infection among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Aims: To evaluate the prevalence of malaria parasites among some pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Rivers State, Nigeria.
Study Design: Cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: Five healthcare centres in Rivers State, Nigeria, between April and September 2011.
Methodology: Peripheral blood samples were collected using venous procedure and the presence of malaria parasites was observed microscopically on thick and thin blood smears prepared from each sample. Personal data were collected through questionnaires and the general results gotten during this study were analyzed statistically using two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).
Results: The only species of malaria parasite identified in this study was Plasmodium falciparum. A total of 104 (26%) pregnant women were infected with P. falciparum in this study. Pregnant women in their first, second and third trimesters had prevalence rates of 27%, 27.3% and 21.8% respectively (P<0.05). Prevalence rates for primigraviidae, secundigraviidae and multiparous women were 26.1%, 31.5% and 20% respectively (P<0.05). prevalence rates of 26.9%, 27.8% and 21.5% were observed in pregnant women between the ages of 11-20, 21-30 and 31-40 respectively (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Malaria still needs to be given more attention due to its negative impact on pregnant women and their unborn children.