International Journal of Research Studies in Microbiology and Biotechnology (IJRSMB) Volume 4, Issue 4, 2018, PP 20-31 ISSN No. (Online) 2454-9428 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20431/2454-9428.0404004 www.arcjournals.org International Journal of Research Studies in Microbiology and Biotechnology (IJRSMB) Page | 20 The Impact of Malaria in Pregnancy among Women Attending Ante Natal Care in Imo State Nigeria Ifeanyi O. C. Obiajuru 1 *, Jacinta C. Elo – Ilo 2 ,and Cajetan E. Ilo 3 1 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Imo State University, Orlu Campus, Imo State, Nigeria 2 Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus State, Nigeria 3Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus, Anambra State, Nigeria 1. INTRODUCTION Malaria exerts a heavy toll of illness and death, especially amongst children and pregnant women. It is the most prevalent parasitic disease of the tropical world. Akogun (2008) described it as the king of all parasites of poverty. Mashaal (1993) estimated that between 1980 and 1990, the number of malaria cases in the world was more than three hundred million. At present, over 1 million children under 5 years of age die annually as a result of malaria. It also poses a risk to travelers and immigrants, with imported cases increasing in non-endemic areas (Mashaal, 2000). Treatment and control have become more difficult with the spread of drug-resistant strains of parasites and insecticide-resistant strains of mosquito vectors. Although malaria has existed since time immemorial, the aetiology of the disease was unknown until recent times. It was believed that bad air or gas from swamp “miasma” caused the disease (Volks and Wheeler, 1999; Mashaal, 2000). Present day medical science has proved that malaria is caused by microorganisms and transmitted by the bite of an infected female Anophelese mosquito (Becton, 2006a). Protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Plasmodium causes malaria. Four species of Plasmodium, namely Plasmodium falciparium, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae are associated with human plasmodiasis (Chesbrough, 2002, Department of Parasitic Diseases, 2004). The female anopheles mosquito, which feed on human blood transmits Plasmodium parasites. The entry of malaria parasites into the body of the host provokes production of Abstract: The impact of malaria in pregnancy amongst women attending ante natal care in hospitals within Imo State Nigeria was studied, A total of 3000 pregnant women were initially recruited for the study, 2,871 (95.7%) gave full consent and consequently participated in the study. One hundred and twenty nine (4.3%) others did not complete their questionnaires properly or did not donate blood samples for laboratory investigation. Out of 2,871 persons examined using the Quantitative Buffy Coat (QBC) method 2,323 (80.9%) had malaria parasites. Similarly, the direct stained smear technique showed that 2,301 (80.1%) persons had malaria parasites while the Plasmodium falciparium (pf) antigen test showed that 1,801 (62.7%) persons were positive for malaria due to Plasmodium falciparium.Comparatively, the QBC and slide smear techniques were more effective for parasite detection than the pf antigen test. The age related prevalence showed that pregnant women within the age bracket 18 – 25 years had the highest prevalence (86.1%) of malaria infection, followed by those in the 36 – 40 (82.8%). The least prevalent age group was the 40 years and above group (74.7%) The overall mean infection according to zones showed that Owerri had the highest prevalence (83.9%), followed by Okigwe (72.1%) and Orlu (66.9%). Statistical analysis of the data showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the prevalence of plasmodiasis between the three zones of Imo State. Many pregnant women lost their jobs, some could not attend fully their businesses, some missed their religious activities due to malaria in pregnancy. Some women had low birth weight babies, some pre – term delivery etc due to malaria in pregnancy. This study has shown that malaria is a major public health challenge among pregnant women in Imo State Nigeria, leading to inestimable economic and social losses. Keywords: Impact Malaria Pregnant Women Imo State *Corresponding Author: Ifeanyi O. C. Obiajuru, Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Imo State University, Orlu Campus, Imo State, Nigeria