Publications

Malaria is the world’s most important tropical disease, killing more people than any other communicable diseasePlasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous parasite, causes malaria in the sub-Saharan African region. In thetropics, malaria is more common in pregnant women than in any other adult group because of the hormonal andimmunological changes that take place in the pregnant woman’s body. We admitted two men to Fort PortalRegional Referral Hospital to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with malaria in pregnancy. Weused a cross-sectional descriptive study design to collect both quantitative and qualitative data on the prevalenceand risk factors of malaria among pregnant women admitted to Fort portal Regional Referral Hospital. The studyfound that the prevalence of malaria in pregnancy was 22 (19.2%) in the mothers recruited in the study. The studyalso found that being unemployed (59.1%; p-value 0.041) and having a having a rural residence (72.7%; p-value0.028) were significant factors that led to malaria in pregnancy. Additionally, being in the first or second trimester,14 (63.6%); p-value 0.042, and not using an insecticide-treated mosquito net, 12 (54.5%); p-value 0.033, werepredisposing factors to malaria in pregnancy. The prevalence of malaria remains high, at 19.3%, necessitatingsignificant efforts to mitigate its morbidity effects. Increased awareness about malaria preventive measures andearly attendance at antenatal care services will help reduce malaria in pregnancy and its associated morbidities