Intermittent preventive treatment and malaria amongst pregnant women who give birth at the Centre Hospitalier Régional Paul Moukambi de Koula-Moutou in southeastern Gabon

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Jean Claude Biteghe-Bi-Essone, Roméo Karl Imboumy-Limoukou, Jean Jordan Ekogha-Ovono, Sydney Maghendji-Nzondo, Pater Noster Sir-Ondo-Enguier, Lydie Sandrine Oyegue, Jean Bernard Lekana-Douki
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2022
• Subjects: Intermittent preventive treatment; Malaria; Pregnant women; Southeastern Gabon; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04305-4; https://doaj.org/article/7c8ce4a8964e4082b550f2e41da63aec

Abstract Background Evaluating malaria control strategies for pregnant women is essential. The objective of this study was to determine the factors influencing antenatal care (ANC) visit attendance, complete intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) and its impact on the health of pregnant women and their newborn babies living in semi-urban and rural areas of southeastern Gabon. Methods This transversal study was performed at the Centre Hospitalier Régional Paul Moukambi de Koula-Moutou (CHRPMK). Information regarding age, frequency of prenatal consultations, obstetric history, use of malaria control measures, use of IPTp-SP, malaria diagnostic of women and their newborns, were collected: (i): from birth registers from 1 January, 2018 to 31 December, 2019 and, (ii): a questionnaire from January to April 2020. Results In total, 1,851 and 323 pregnant women were included during the first and the second sub-set of study, respectively. In the first sub-set of data, the mean age was 26.18 ± 7.02 years and 96.54% (1,787/1,851) of pregnant women had attended ANC service but 54.45% had complete ANC visit attendance (at least 4 ANC). The complete ANC visit was linked with age (p < 0.001) and profession (p < 0.001). The complete IPTp-SP (at least 3 doses) was 58.87%. Complete IPTp-SP was linked to profession (aOR = 1.49, 95% CI [1.04–2.18], p < 0.001), ANC visit (aOR = 0.176, 95% CI [0.14–0.22], p < 0.034) and age (p = 0.03). Birth weight was higher for babies whose mothers had received complete IPTp-SP (p < 0,001) but the Apgar score was not influenced by the use of IPTp-SP (p = 0.71). In the second sub-set of data, the prevalence of plasmodial infection was 3.10% (95% IC [1.21–5]) and Plasmodium falciparum was responsible for 100% of infections. The prevalence of plasmodial infection was the same for all age groups (p = 0.69), gravidity (p = 0.13) and domestic control measures (p > 0.05). A low birth weight was statistically linked to the mother’s plasmodial infection ...