Background: Nigeria currently has the second largest maternal mortality and highest transmission of malaria in the world. Approximately 9.2 million women and young girls who get pregnant annually in Nigeria are at risk of malaria in pregnancy (MIP). MIP is associated with adverse outcomes on both the mother and foetus. Objective: To assess the prevalence of malaria among women attending a tertiary hospital within Sokoto metropolis. Methods: The study was cross-sectional retrospective study. Records of women aged 15 years and above were extracted from the patient records (Jan – Dec, 2015) at Specialist Hospital Sokoto. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-Squared test and risk ratio was calculated. Result: A total of 71,384 women attended the hospital during the study period of which 10,408 were diagnosed to have malaria giving a prevalence of 14.6%. The prevalence was higher (p<0.05) among pregnant women, MIP (18.0%) than non-pregnant women, MIW (13.7%). The highest prevalence was recorded in the month of January (30.9%) while the lowest prevalence was seen in December with a prevalence of 8.2%. Conclusion: The prevalence of malaria in the study population was 14% and pregnant women had a higher risk of malaria infection. A more robust prospective study is required to confirm the findings.
Uyaiabasi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.