Publications

Malaria remains a formidable public health threat, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where pregnant womenface heightened vulnerability. Intermittent Preventive Treatment in pregnancy with Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) stands as a pivotal strategy in malaria prevention efforts. However, its full potentialis hindered by challenges in implementation. This study, conducted at Bushenyi Health Centre IV in Uganda,scrutinized provider practices, challenges encountered, and malaria prevalence among pregnant womenattending antenatal care services. Through a descriptive cross-sectional approach involving 151 pregnantmothers and 15 antenatal care providers, analysis revealed noteworthy insights. While a majority of pregnantwomen received IPTp-SP, adherence to WHO guidelines regarding administration timing and frequency wassuboptimal. Notably, over half of the providers reported stockouts of IPTp-SP, leading to significant delays inreplenishment and impeding service delivery. Moreover, providers identified a crucial link between women'sknowledge and IPTp uptake. The study also uncovered a malaria prevalence of 7.9% among pregnant women.These findings underscore the urgent need to address implementation challenges, particularly in supply chainmanagement and health education, to fortify malaria prevention strategies for pregnant women in Uganda.Keywords: Malaria, Pregnant women, IPTp-SP, Antenatal care, Implementation challenges, Supply chainmanagement, Health education, Uganda.