ABSTRACT
Malaria in pregnancy jeopardizes the outcome of pregnancy, affecting both the mother and the foetus. The prevalence of placental malaria in women, who routinely attended ante-natal clinics in Owerri, south-eastern Nigeria, was assessed using three hospitals between March 2004 and August 2005. Placental blood was collected in EDTA bottles from incisions made on cleaned basal plate of the placenta, within an hour of delivery. Blood collected was used to assess ABO blood group, haemoglobin level as well as malaria parasitaemia. Malaria parasitaemia was determined from thick and thin smears stained with Giemsa, while the haemoglobin level was measured using the cyanomethaemoglobin method. A total of 586 pregnant women were involved in this study with written consents. Malaria parasites were observed in 175 (29.9%) of the women on delivery. Of these women, 64 (36.6%) were anaemic. A significant relationship at P<0.05 variation, was observed between the prevalence of malaria parasites in the placenta and gravidity, age and blood group. The rate of occurrence of malaria parasitaemia, in the placenta of women who were on a weekly prophylaxis against malaria is alarming and calls for more serious efforts in the prevention of malaria especially in this vulnerable group.
Subject(s)
Malaria, Falciparum/epidemiology , Placenta/parasitology , Plasmodium falciparum/isolation & purification , Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic/epidemiology , ABO Blood-Group System , Adolescent , Adult , Anemia/epidemiology , Animals , Antimalarials/therapeutic use , Female , Gravidity , Humans , Malaria, Falciparum/diagnosis , Malaria, Falciparum/drug therapy , Nigeria/epidemiology , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic/diagnosis , Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic/drug therapy , PrevalenceABSTRACT
Persistence of malaria symptoms after treatment with over the counter available antimalarial drugs has resulted in a gradual loss of faith in orthodox drugs. There is thus an increased tendency towards the use of herbs in the treatment of malaria in Imo State, Nigeria. In this study we report activities of two herbalists in the treatment of malaria as well as the effectiveness of the herbal treatment. The study covered two areas namely, Umuneke Ugiri in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area (LGA) and Odummara Obi-Orodo in Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State, Nigeria. A participant-observation technique was used. Finger prick blood samples were collected from patients who visited the herbalists complaining of malaria, and blood smears were stained with Field's B stain. Blood smears were taken again one-week post-treatment. A total of 75 patients from Umuneke Ugiri and 265 patients from Odumara Obi-Orodo were involved in the study. All the 75 patients (100%) from Umuneke Ugiri and 163 (61.51%) patients from Odummara Obi-Orodo were positive for malaria parasites. Only 13 (17.3%) patients from Umuneke Ugiri and 149 (56.23%) from Odummara Obi-Orodo returned for the post-treatment blood parasite analysis. From Umuneke Ugiri 4 (31%) were still positive for malaria parasite while 9 (69%) were negative. All 149 patients from Odummara Obi-Orodo were negative. This indicates that the herbal treatment was effective. However, there is need for further studies into the efficacy of herbal concoctions, their effective life span, as well as possible toxic effects.
