Prevalence of Malaria among Pregnant Women and Children Under Five Years in Abi Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria

This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of malaria among pregnant women and children less than five years in Abi Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used for the study. Convenient sampling technique was used to select 59 pregnant women and 166 children (0-59 months) who presented in five selected Primary Health Centres between September 2016 to October, 2016. Blood samples were obtained from the respondent’s left 4th finger with the aid of a sterile lancet and the Rapid Diagnostic Test cassette was used to examine for the presence of malaria parasites in the blood of each respondent. Data generated were presented in frequencies and tables and Chi-square was used to test for association between categorical variables at 0.05 alpha level. The result obtained showed that of the 59 pregnant women who were tested for malaria parasite, 24 (40.7%) were positive for malaria parasite while 35 (59.3%) tested negative. Malaria was found to be higher among pregnant women between the age bracket of 22-26 years 10 (16.9%), women in their primigravida 13 (22.0%) and among women in their second trimester 9 (15.3%). Out of 166 children that were tested for malaria, 110 (66.3%) had malaria parasite in their blood while 56 (33.7%) tested negative. Malaria infection was higher among children who were between 0-12 months and among males than their female counterparts. Gestational age was significantly associated with the presence of malaria parasite (ᵡ2= 9.273; p=0.000). Hence, to curb malaria, the campaigns on malaria control and prevention should be re-designed in content and intensified in rural areas where the transmission rate is high. Regular screening and testing for malaria parasite should be institutionalized in all antenatal and postnatal outlets for prompt detection and management of malaria cases.