PREVALENCE OF MALARIA IN PREGNANT WOMEN. AN ANALYSIS OF SELECTED HEALTH FACILITIES IN CALABAR SOUTH, NIGERIA

Malaria is a serious and sometimes a fatal disease caused by a parasite that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans. People who get malaria are typically, very sick with high fevers, shaking, chills, and flu-like illness. Because malaria causes so much illness and death, the disease is a great drain on many national economies. This study was carried out in Calabar to assess malaria infection in pregnancy, an analysis of some health facilities in Calabar South. To achieve this records of pregnant women from the anti-natal clinic record book were obtained particularly on malaria. A total of 53 subjects attending ante-natal clinics formed the population of the study . Thirty-nine (39) individuals were not infected, 14 were infected with Malaria parasitaemia. Based on the pregnancy gravidity of the study population, the women who fell in the primigravidae group had 3(21.53%) positive cases. The multigravidae group had 11(78.53%) positive cases. According to the trimester of pregnancy of the women (first, second and third trimester), those that fell at the first trimester had 2(14.28%) positive cases, the second trimester recorded 5(35.71%) positive status, the third trimester category recorded 7(50.00%) positive status. According to the age group categories, the age group 20-29 years had 7(50.00%) positive cases which was the highest. To conclude, although there is prevalence of malaria among the pregnant women, but it was low perhaps because the women are better 6 informed on how to protect themselves from mosquito bites and its implication in pregnancy. Nigeria faces several difficult challenges when it comes to malaria and so, continues education of the pregnant women and the general masses is encouraged.