Prevalence and Associated Factors of Asymptomatic Malaria among Pregnant Women Attending Care in a Semi-Urban Government Hospital in South-South Nigeria

Background: Malaria in pregnancy contributes to adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Pregnant women can be asymptomatic in the presence of malaria parasitemia, and its role in poor perinatal outcomes will remain undetected. Detection and treatment of the asymptomatic pregnant woman provides an opportunity to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes. The study determined the prevalence of asymptomatic malaria parasitemia and the associated factors amongst pregnant women making their first antenatal clinic visit to a secondary health facility in South-South Nigeria. Method: This was a cross-sectional study involving 186 pregnant women. Blood samples collected from the consenting women were examined for malaria parasite and used to determine packed cell volume. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants were extracted using a pretested data proforma. Data analysis was done to document proportions, associations, and statistical significance. Analysis was conducted with IBM SPSS version 25. Results: Of the 186 women, 114 (61.3%) had malaria parasitemia. Significant associations with malaria parasitemia were found in women with low level of education (OR=2.3. P=0,013), not using insecticide-treated nets {(ITN), (OR=10.0. P=0.01)}, and with anemia (OR=13.0, P=0.01). Mosquito nets were used by 15.5% of the women and 4.8% of them had anemia. Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of asymptomatic malaria parasitemia and confirmed the protective role of education, use of ITN, and adequate hematocrit against malaria in pregnancy. These findings provide an opportunity for interventions to improve pregnancy outcome.