International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN: 2319-7064 ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2018): 7.426 Volume 8 Issue 7, July 2019 www.ijsr.net Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY Knowledge, Awareness and Practices of Preventive Measures for Malaria among Pregnant Women in a Tertiary Health Institution Constance E Shehu 1 , Marcus N Mbakwe 2 , Abubakar A Panti 3 , Aliyu M Chapa 4 1, 2, 3, 4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto Abstract: Background : Malaria accounts for nearly one million deaths every year in Africa alone. It is the most important of the parasitic diseases of human beings. Pregnant women are known generally to demonstrate an increased susceptibility to malaria infection. Malaria in pregnancy is a known cause of maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and practices of malaria prevention among pregnant women attending the antenatal care clinic of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, North-west Nigeria. Methodology : The study was a cross-sectional study which adopted a descriptive design and systematic random sampling technique was used. Data collected were sampled using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results : The findings revealed that 85.51% of respondents had good knowledge of malaria prevention, and 73.82% practiced malaria preventive strategies. There was a significant relationship between good knowledge and the educational status of the pregnant woman and her husband, with p values of 0.001 and 0.001 respectively. Conclusion : It is recommended that midwives and doctors carry out comprehensive health talks during the antenatal clinic on malaria and its preventive measures in pregnancy. Intermittent preventive therapy and insecticide treated nets should also be given to pregnant women attending antenatal clinics. Keywords: Malaria; Intermittent preventive therapy; Insecticide treated nets, morbidity 1. Introduction Malaria remains a major public health problem in Africa where 45 countries including Nigeria are mostly affected and about 588 million people at risk. 1 It is a mosquito-borne infectious disease affecting humans and other animals and it is caused by parasitic protozoans belonging to the plasmodium type. 2 It is a life threatening disease commonly transmitted by an infected female Anopheles mosquito. 2 The mosquito bites and introduces the parasites from its saliva into a person’s blood.The parasites then travel to the liver where they mature, multiply and subsequently affect red blood cells. 2,3 Five species of plasmodium can infect and be spread by humans.They include Plasmodium Falciparum, Plasmodium Vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium Knowlesi. 3 Most deaths and severe forms of malaria are caused by Plasmodium falciparum. 3 Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae generally cause mild forms of malaria. 3 Plasmodium knowlesi rarely causes disease in humans. 3 Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are the most common, and Plasmodium falciparum the most deadly. 3 Each year approximately 300 million people in Africa, Asia, Oceania, Central and south America are affected by malaria. 4 Malaria accounts for nearly one million deaths every year in Africa alone. 4 It is the most important of the parasitic disease of human beings. 4 It is one of the biggest health problems in sub-Saharan Africa and its contribution to morbidity and mortality among people in Africa has been a subject of academic interest, political advocacy and speculation. 5 In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 400 million persons are at risk and nearly all the one million deaths per annum from malaria in the world occurs in this region. 5 In addition pregnant women are at immense risk of malaria due to natural immune depression in pregnancy. 5 In 2015, 91 countries had on-going malaria transmission. 3 Between 2010 and 2015, malaria incidence among populations at risk (the rate of new cases) fell by 21% globally. 3 In that same period malaria mortality rates among populations at risk fell by 29% globally among all age groups, and by 35% among children under 5. 3 These were largely due to malaria preventive and control measures. 3 Vector control is the main way to prevent and reduce malaria transmission. 3 If coverage of vector control interventions within a specific area is high enough, then a measure of protection will be conferred across the community. 3 WHO recommends protection for all people at risk of malaria with effective malaria vector control. 3 Two forms of vector control- insecticide treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying are effective in a wide range of circumstances. 3 Malaria is preventable and curable. 3 Increased malaria prevention and control measures are dramatically reducing the malaria burden in many places. 3 Specific population risk groups include young children less than 5 years old, non- immune pregnant women as malaria causes high rates of miscarriage and can lead to maternal death. 3 Semi-immune pregnant women in areas of high transmission, HIV infected pregnant women, people with HIV AIDS, international travellers from non- endemic areas because of lack of immunity are also at risk. 3 Immunity to malaria is governed by a complex interplay of both cellular activity and humoral factors. 4 The stress of pregnancy tends to lower immunity acquired in the non-pregnant state. 4 The reason has not been well elucidated. 4 However it has been argued that when protein requirement is unusually high as in pregnancy, metabolic channels may be altered so that if the dietary intake is insufficient, protein is withdrawn from the immune system. 4 Another explanation is that the cell mediated immunity is depressed during pregnancy though specific malaria antibodies are not decreased. 4 Cortisol levels are increased during pregnancy and this may contribute to Paper ID: ART20199644 10.21275/ART20199644 872