Knowledge, Awareness and Practices of Preventive Measures for Malaria among Pregnant Women Attending Selected Health Facilities in Gusau, Zamfara State Nigeria

Worldwide, about three billion people have a risk of contracting malaria, and about 400 million cases and 900,000 deaths from malaria have been seen in recent times. This study determines knowledge, awareness and practices of preventive measures for Malaria among pregnant women attending Selected Health facilities in Gusau, Zamfara State Nigeria. A well-structured questionnaire was employed to collect relevant information from the study subjects attending Dr. Karima Primary Health Center Gusau, King Fahad Women and Children Hospital Gusau, General Hospital Gusau and Shagari Primary Health care Gusau for antenatal care. The results indicated that 92% of the respondent knew about malaria while 8% do not. Majority (64.25%) believed mosquito was the causative agent of malaria with major sign such as fever, headache, body and joint pain and vomiting. The respondent’s understanding of malaria showed that 365 (91.25%) perceived malaria as a dangerous to pregnancy. About 80.25% heard about malaria preventive measures and 36.5% used mosquito repellent/coil whereas 28% used insect treated net (ITN). Majority of the respondents (94.75%) agreed that preventive treatment to malaria during pregnancy is important. About 43.5% seek treatment within 12 hours and majority of the (69.75%) seek treatment in hospitals. It is concluded that there is knowledge and high level of awareness to malaria prevention measures among pregnant women attending the study centers.