Publications

Malaria is an acute and chronic illness characterized by paroxysms of fever, chills, sweats,fatigue, anaemia, and splenomegaly and is caused by parasite protozoan of the genusPlasmodium. Malaria remains one of the most severe public health problems globally. It isthe leading cause of death and disease in many developing countries including Uganda,where children under 5 and pregnant mothers are the most affected. The main objective ofthis study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with malaria amongstpregnant women attending Hoima Regional Referral Hospital Antenatal Clinic. The study wasa quantitative descriptive type. Pregnant women who came for routine antenatal care visitsduring the months of January and February 2021 had their capillary blood samples collected.Smears, both thick and thin were made and stained using Field’s staining technique. Thesewere examined for malaria parasites using a light microscope. The study highlighted thatmalaria among pregnant women in Hoima Regional Referral Hospital is high and thereforeput the life of mothers and unborn children at risk (18.5%). The socio-demographicdeterminants that were found to be predictive of malaria acquisition were level of education,marital status, and number of household members. It was also 4 times more likely thatparticipants who were buying mosquito nets were likely to have malaria than those who weregetting them from the government [95% CI 1.32-10.60: P=0.013]. The Ministry of Health needsto sensitize the communities to the importance of mosquito nets. The health care workersneed to inform the clients about the use of mosquito net services