International Journal of Malaria and Tropical Diseases (IJMTD) ISSN 2953-2108, Vol. 4(1), pp. 082-093, December, 2023.  © Advanced Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Prevalence of Malaria and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Angar Gute health centers, Western Ethiopia

Fekadu Bekele

Institute of Health Science, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Wollega University, Nekemte, Ethiopia,

*Corresponding author’s Email: [email protected], phone: +251917019180.

Accepted 5^th December, 2023.

Abstract

Malaria in pregnancy is a major public health problem in Sub-Sahara African countries, including Ethiopia. The unwanted outcomes of malaria in pregnancy are morbidity and mortality of the pregnant women and their newborns. In moderate and high malaria transmission sub-Saharan Africancountries about 11 million pregnant women would have been exposed to malaria infection in 2018. To determine prevalence of malaria and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at AngarGute Health Center, Western Ethiopia. A health facility-based cross-sectional study comprising a convenient sampling technique including 239 pregnant women was conducted from September to November 2020. Blood specimen were examined to detect plasmodium species using microscopy and rapid diagnostic test. Hemoglobin concentration was performed. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were employed to assess factors associated with malaria. Of the total 239 pregnant women who participated in the study the pooled prevalence of malaria was 5.65. of the positive cases 13(5.4%), and 14 (5.9%) were detected by microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests, respectively. Of 13 malaria positive, 11 (84.6 %), 95% CI (57.8-95.6) and 2(15.4%), 95% CI (4.3-42.3) were infected with P. falciparum and P.vivax, respectively.Residence (AOR = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.015 -0.89, p <0.038 ), gravidity (AOR:9.62 95% CI: 1.2-77.8 , p <0.034 ), ITNs ownship (AOR: 5.4, 95% CI: 1.2-25.2, p <0.032) and ITNs utilization sometimes (AOR:0.114, 95% CI: 0.02-0.70, p <.019) and never use (AOR= 3.4, 95% CI (0.63-12.3), p <0.001) were significantly associated with malaria. Anemia was associated with malaria at  chi-squere (X²=13.15, P=0.01). The prevalence of malaria among pregnant women in our study was high and the predominant species was P. falciparum.