<strong>Introduction:</strong> Malaria is a febrile illness caused by the <em>Plasmodium</em> species. The mangrove swamp forest vegetation and high annual rainfall characteristic of the Niger ...<strong>Introduction:</strong> Malaria is a febrile illness caused by the <em>Plasmodium</em> species. The mangrove swamp forest vegetation and high annual rainfall characteristic of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria encourage all year round transmission of malaria. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and speciation of <em>Plasmodium</em> parasitaemia among pregnant women in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. <strong>Methodology:</strong> Cross-sectional study carried out in three states of the Niger Delta region;Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Rivers between April and June 2019. Study Sites were chosen by stratified random sampling. Demographic information was collected using pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires via the Open Data Kit application on android mobile phones. Diagnosis was by rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and Microscopy. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained. Data was analyzed using the SPSS v25 software. Chi-square statistic and Fischer’s exact test were used to compare data, all at a 95% confidence interval and significance level of 0.05. <strong>Results:</strong> Two thousand, eight hundred and twenty (2820) pregnant women were studied;948, 992 and 880 from Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Rivers respectively. Overall prevalence of parasitaemia using RDT and Microscopy was 6.8% and 6.7% respectively. All except 1% of malaria was attributed to falciparum species. The other species were plasmodium ovale and plasmodium malariae. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The prevalence of <em>Plasmodium</em> parasitaemia among pregnant women in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria has reduced considerably, giving credence to the malaria preventive strategies applied in antenatal care. When properly stored and used as recommended, malaria RDTs compare favorably with microscopy;therefore, no case of malaria should be missed due to a facility’s incapability to carry out microscopic diagnosis.展开更多
Background:?Malaria remains a public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa especially in pregnant women because of the potential risk to the life of the mother and risk of transmission to the foetus. Treatment of malar...Background:?Malaria remains a public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa especially in pregnant women because of the potential risk to the life of the mother and risk of transmission to the foetus. Treatment of malaria imposes a great economic burden on households, governments, and ultimately slows down the pace of economic development in these countries. Methods:?This study estimates the economic burden of malaria among pregnant women in Nigeria, using a cross sectional survey, conducted in 8 public health institutions from the three senatorial districts of Rivers State. The data was collected from a sample of 1008 pregnant women visiting antenatal clinics using the open data kit (ODK) pretested questionnaires by trained personnel. Results:?The results show that malaria has a direct economic burden of about N5826.21 or 16.18 United States Dollar (USD) for outpatient treatment including diagnostic tests and about N18,271 or 50.75?USD using an exchange rate of N360:1?USD, for inpatient treatment. A significant statistical association was established between malaria diagnosis and socio-economic status of participants (p-value Conclusion:?Though the intangible cost could not be identified, the study has shown that malaria imposes huge economic burden on households especially poor households. There is need for government to intensify its efforts in malaria eradication schemes. Efforts should be made to put in place a free malaria treatment policy for vulnerable groups like pregnant women. Furthermore, involvement of health systems in reducing the cost of treatment will decrease the economic burden on the households.展开更多
文摘<strong>Introduction:</strong> Malaria is a febrile illness caused by the <em>Plasmodium</em> species. The mangrove swamp forest vegetation and high annual rainfall characteristic of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria encourage all year round transmission of malaria. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and speciation of <em>Plasmodium</em> parasitaemia among pregnant women in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. <strong>Methodology:</strong> Cross-sectional study carried out in three states of the Niger Delta region;Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Rivers between April and June 2019. Study Sites were chosen by stratified random sampling. Demographic information was collected using pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires via the Open Data Kit application on android mobile phones. Diagnosis was by rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and Microscopy. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained. Data was analyzed using the SPSS v25 software. Chi-square statistic and Fischer’s exact test were used to compare data, all at a 95% confidence interval and significance level of 0.05. <strong>Results:</strong> Two thousand, eight hundred and twenty (2820) pregnant women were studied;948, 992 and 880 from Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Rivers respectively. Overall prevalence of parasitaemia using RDT and Microscopy was 6.8% and 6.7% respectively. All except 1% of malaria was attributed to falciparum species. The other species were plasmodium ovale and plasmodium malariae. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The prevalence of <em>Plasmodium</em> parasitaemia among pregnant women in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria has reduced considerably, giving credence to the malaria preventive strategies applied in antenatal care. When properly stored and used as recommended, malaria RDTs compare favorably with microscopy;therefore, no case of malaria should be missed due to a facility’s incapability to carry out microscopic diagnosis.
文摘Background:?Malaria remains a public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa especially in pregnant women because of the potential risk to the life of the mother and risk of transmission to the foetus. Treatment of malaria imposes a great economic burden on households, governments, and ultimately slows down the pace of economic development in these countries. Methods:?This study estimates the economic burden of malaria among pregnant women in Nigeria, using a cross sectional survey, conducted in 8 public health institutions from the three senatorial districts of Rivers State. The data was collected from a sample of 1008 pregnant women visiting antenatal clinics using the open data kit (ODK) pretested questionnaires by trained personnel. Results:?The results show that malaria has a direct economic burden of about N5826.21 or 16.18 United States Dollar (USD) for outpatient treatment including diagnostic tests and about N18,271 or 50.75?USD using an exchange rate of N360:1?USD, for inpatient treatment. A significant statistical association was established between malaria diagnosis and socio-economic status of participants (p-value Conclusion:?Though the intangible cost could not be identified, the study has shown that malaria imposes huge economic burden on households especially poor households. There is need for government to intensify its efforts in malaria eradication schemes. Efforts should be made to put in place a free malaria treatment policy for vulnerable groups like pregnant women. Furthermore, involvement of health systems in reducing the cost of treatment will decrease the economic burden on the households.
