Low Prevalence of Asymptomatic Malaria in Pregnancy among Subjects Attending Antenatal Clinic at a Tertiary Hospital in Bauchi, Nigeria: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

Background: Asymptomatic malaria in pregnancy still posed clinical challenge and diagnostic problem. The preventive measures are often advocated during antenatal visits. This study assessed the prevalence of asymptomatic malaria in pregnancy among subjects attending ante-natal clinics. Methodology: The cross-sectional study was conducted among 140 volunteer asymptomatic pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) between July and September 2017. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on sociodemography, obstetric history and malaria control practices from the subjects following an informed consent. They were subjected to malaria screening by rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and Giemsa-stained blood smears were prepared for RDT-positive subjects. The malaria positive subjects were treated according to national treatment guidelines on malaria in pregnancy. Results: The overall mean (standard deviation) age of the 140 subjects was 24.2 (±10.3) years with majority within the age group of 27-32 years (41.4%, 58/140; p<0.05). Only three of the 140 subjects had malaria parasitaemia giving a prevalence of 2.1% (3/140). Among all the variables analyzed, malaria in pregnancy was associated with only older age (p<0.05) in the present study.  Conclusion: The study revealed low prevalence of asymptomatic malaria among pregnant women attending ATBUTH, Nigeria and could be attributed to the satisfactory ante-natal and malaria prevention practices. However, elaborate epidemiological studies are required to ascertain the finding.