| Mwamba Mulamba |
| Department of Family Medicine, Stellenbosch |
| December, 2009 |
Abstract |
| Background: Malaria in pregnancy is associated with many negative outcomes for the woman, foetus and neonate. Intermittent Preventive Treatment during pregnancy (IPTp) using Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) is one of the main strategies to prevent malaria with use of Insecticide Treated mosquito Nets (ITN) and Indoor Residual Spray (IRS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies in pregnant women, five years after their implementation in Ndola, Zambia. Methods: A questionnaire on socio-demographic information, history of malaria during pregnancy and prevention strategies used was administered to 450 consecutive patients attending 3 clinics. Information was also collected from the antenatal cards. A blood slide to assess parasitaemia was collected from each woman in the labour ward. Results: 2.4% had parasitaemia at term and 15.8% reported malaria during pregnancy. All the participants took at least one dose of SP with 87.6% completing the stipulated three doses. The mean gestational age for each dose were 22.1 (SD 4.6), 29.1 (SD 4.4) and 34.4 (SD 3.9) weeks. 79.5% had an ITN, but only 74.1% used it regularly. Only 23.4% used insecticide repellent. Conclusion: The measured prevalence of malaria at term in Ndola was remarkably low, although the self reported rate during pregnancy was still high. The national targets for accessing IPTp were exceeded, although the timing of each dose needs to be improved. Access to ITN was high, but utilization needs to be improved. |
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