Prevalence of bacterial enteric fever diseases among pregnant women in the rural and urban parts of Rivers State

The avoidable illness known as "Bacterial Enteric Fever" is prevalent in West Africa and other low-income areas of the world, and it is primarily caused by Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) and Salmonella paratyphi A& B.among this study, the prevalence of enteric fever among pregnant women in Rivers State, Nigeria's rural and urban areas was investigated.It is crucial to prevent and treat enteric fever, particularly in susceptible populations like expectant mothers.In light of this, a study was conducted to ascertain the prevalence and methods of control employed by expectant mothers in River State's rural and urban areas. A cluster sample strategy was used to choose 460 pregnant women (230 from urban and 230 from rural areas) from 24 comprehensive primary health care centers in Rivers State, Nigeria, for a cross-sectional study. Data was gathered using a researcher-designed, structured questionnaire. At a significance threshold of 5%, prescriptive and chi square statistics were employed for the date analysis. According to study results, 48.3% of pregnant women in urban areas and 59.4% of those in rural areas had bacterial enteric fever. between the urban and rural areas. Along with feces in rivers (36.5% vs 0%, p= p=<0.1), hand washing before eating (28.7% vs 30..0%, p = 0…030) was subpar. In conclusion, compared to urban areas, the prevalence of bacterial enteric fever among pregnant women living in rural areas was higher.