Plasmodium Parasitaemia among Pregnant Women in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Introduction: Malaria is a febrile illness caused by the Plasmodium species. The mangrove swamp forest vegetation and high annual rainfall characteristic of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria encourage all year round transmission of malaria. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and speciation of Plasmodium parasitaemia among pregnant women in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Methodology: Cross-sectional study carried out in three states of the Niger Delta region; Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Rivers between April and June 2019. Study Sites were chosen by stratified random sampling. Demographic information was collected using pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires via the Open Data Kit application on android mobile phones. Diagnosis was by rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and Microscopy. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained. Data was analyzed using the SPSS v25 software. Chi-square statistic and Fischer’s exact test were used to compare data, all at a 95% confidence interval and significance level of 0.05. Results: Two thousand, eight hundred and twenty (2820) pregnant women were studied; 948, 992 and 880 from Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Rivers respectively. Overall prevalence of parasitaemia using RDT and Microscopy was 6.8% and 6.7% respectively. All except 1% of malaria was attributed to falciparum species. The other species were plasmodium ovale and plasmodium malariae. Conclusion: The prevalence of Plasmodium parasitaemia among pregnant women in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria has reduced considerably, giving credence to the malaria preventive strategies applied in antenatal care. When properly stored and used as recommended, malaria RDTs compare favorably with microscopy; therefore, no case of malaria should be missed due to a facility’s incapability to carry out microscopic diagnosis.