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Vol.4 , No. 6, Publication Date: Nov. 9, 2017, Page: 97-99
 females participant visiting General Hospital, Ewohimi, comprising of 40 pregnant females and 40 non-pregnant females were examined for the presence of malaria parasite in their bloodstream. A thick and thin blood films from each participant was examined after Giemsa staining. A total of 50 (62.5%) of the studied population were positive for malaria. Of the 40 pregnant females examined, 26 (65%) were positive while 14 (35%) were negative. The non-pregnant females had 24 (60%) examined been positive for malaria parasite while 16 (40%) were negative. This shows that the infection rate was higher in pregnant females than in non-pregnant females, but the difference was significant (P > 0.05) when compared with the non-pregnant females that tested positive for malaria parasite. The research also showed that, women experiencing pregnancy associated malaria exhibited normal symptoms of malaria, but may also be asymptomatic or present with more mild symptoms including a lack of the characteristic fever. It was concluded that pregnancy is tantamount with malaria infection which affect the entire immune system. It therefore becomes necessary to recommend the incorporation of antimalarial drugs to the management of pregnancy. This will help to prevent the pregnant women from the danger of parasitaemia to herself and her unborn child.&picture=http://www.aascit.org/aascit/decorators/img/journal/919.jpg)
| [1] | Imarenezor Edobor Peter Kenneth, Tropical Diseases Unit, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Federal University, Wukari, Nigeria. |
Malaria is a mosquito borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. This study was carried out to determine the incidence of malaria parasite among pregnant and non-pregnant women attending the General Hospital Ewohimi. A total of Eighty (80) females participant visiting General Hospital, Ewohimi, comprising of 40 pregnant females and 40 non-pregnant females were examined for the presence of malaria parasite in their bloodstream. A thick and thin blood films from each participant was examined after Giemsa staining. A total of 50 (62.5%) of the studied population were positive for malaria. Of the 40 pregnant females examined, 26 (65%) were positive while 14 (35%) were negative. The non-pregnant females had 24 (60%) examined been positive for malaria parasite while 16 (40%) were negative. This shows that the infection rate was higher in pregnant females than in non-pregnant females, but the difference was significant (P > 0.05) when compared with the non-pregnant females that tested positive for malaria parasite. The research also showed that, women experiencing pregnancy associated malaria exhibited normal symptoms of malaria, but may also be asymptomatic or present with more mild symptoms including a lack of the characteristic fever. It was concluded that pregnancy is tantamount with malaria infection which affect the entire immune system. It therefore becomes necessary to recommend the incorporation of antimalarial drugs to the management of pregnancy. This will help to prevent the pregnant women from the danger of parasitaemia to herself and her unborn child.
Keywords
Ewohimi, Incidence, Malaria Parasite, Non Pregnant, Pregnant, Women
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