Epidemiology of Malaria in Pregnancy in Central India

Abstract

Analysis of three years of data from a malaria clinic operated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in the Government Medical College Hospital in Jabalpur, central India, showed a high malaria prevalence among pregnant women, which was statistically highly significant (P <0.0001) compared with the situation among nonpregnant  women. Cerebral malaria was a common complication of severe Plasmodium falciparum infection, with a high mortality during pregnancy, requiring immediate attention. The study also showed that malaria infection was more frequent in primigravidae, falling progressively with increasing parity. Mean parasite densities
were significantly higher in pregnant women compared with non-pregnant women for both P. falciparum (P <0.001; df=137) and P. vivax (P<0.05; df=72) infection. Pregnant women with falciparum or vivax malaria were significantly more anaemic than noninfected pregnant women or infected non-pregnant women.