Prevalence of malaria among pregnant women attending ANC at public health institutions in Damote-Gale district, Southern Ethiopia
- 1Hawassa University College of Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
BackgroundIn Ethiopia as other Sub-Sharan African countries malaria in pregnancy is a major public health threat particularly in the rural communities. Immunosuppression during pregnancy increases the risk of placental malaria; this, in turn, leads to anemia, low birth weight, preterm delivery, and stillbirth, causing severe complications that pose a life-threatening risk to both the mother and fetus. Hence, this study is aimed to assess the prevalence of malaria, and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Damot Gale district, South Ethiopia.
MethodAn institutional-based cross sectional study was conducted from March 1 to May 30, 2024. A multistage sampling technique and pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Using standard parasitological methods, blood samples collected from 389 participants were analyzed through microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained thick and thin blood films. Logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with malaria. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was calculated and P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
ResultsIn this study the prevalence of malaria among pregnant women was 10.5% (95% CI: 7.7-13.6%). Among the malaria-positive pregnant women (9%) were P. falciparum infected, followed by P. vivax (1.3) and mixed infections (0.2%). In the multivariate analysis, multigravdae (AOR = 0.358; 95% CI: 0.14-0.92), utilization of LLINs (AOR = 0.286; 95% CI: 0.119-0.687) and use of IRS (AOR = 0.068; 95% CI: 0.027-0.172) were significantly associated with malaria among pregnant women.
ConclusionMalaria is still a public health problem among pregnant women in Damote-gale district. The present study indicated that adequate distribution and proper utilization of bed nets In addition seasonal proper spray of IRS might be helpful to prevent and control malaria.
Related
- Prevalence of anaemia and Associated Factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care in a rural district of Northern Ghana: a cross-sectional study
- Prevalence, severity, and associated factors of thrombocytopenia among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic in North West Ethiopia,2024: cross-sectional study
- Hepatitis E Virus Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors in Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Consultations Niger Republic, 2025
- Prevalence, associated factors, and functional impact of low back pain among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: A cross-sectional study
- Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care in public hospitals of the Eastern Zone of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study
BibTeX
@misc{kussa2026prevalence,
title = {{Prevalence of malaria among pregnant women attending ANC at public health institutions in Damote-Gale district, Southern Ethiopia}},
author = {Y. Kussa and S. Lema},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.21.26363605},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.26363605v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Prevalence of malaria among pregnant women attending ANC at public health institutions in Damote-Gale district, Southern Ethiopia
AU - Y. Kussa
AU - S. Lema
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.21.26363605
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.26363605v1
AB - BackgroundIn Ethiopia as other Sub-Sharan African countries malaria in pregnancy is a major public health threat particularly in the rural communities. Immunosuppression during pregnancy increases the risk of placental malaria; this, in turn, leads to anemia, low birth weight, preterm delivery, and stillbirth, causing severe complications that pose a life-threatening risk to both the mother and fetus. Hence, this study is aimed to assess the prevalence of malaria, and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Damot Gale district, South Ethiopia. MethodAn institutional-based cross sectional study was conducted from March 1 to May 30, 2024. A multistage sampling technique and pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Using standard parasitological methods, blood samples collected from 389 participants were analyzed through microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained thick and thin blood films. Logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with malaria. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was calculated and P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. ResultsIn this study the prevalence of malaria among pregnant women was 10.5% (95% CI: 7.7-13.6%). Among the malaria-positive pregnant women (9%) were P. falciparum infected, followed by P. vivax (1.3) and mixed infections (0.2%). In the multivariate analysis, multigravdae (AOR = 0.358; 95% CI: 0.14-0.92), utilization of LLINs (AOR = 0.286; 95% CI: 0.119-0.687) and use of IRS (AOR = 0.068; 95% CI: 0.027-0.172) were significantly associated with malaria among pregnant women. ConclusionMalaria is still a public health problem among pregnant women in Damote-gale district. The present study indicated that adequate distribution and proper utilization of bed nets In addition seasonal proper spray of IRS might be helpful to prevent and control malaria.
ER -