Background and Objective: Pregnancy- related malaria is a major problem in Sudan due to it’s associated with significant risk for the pregnant woman and her fetus. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of malaria disease and repeat it among pregnant women during rainy season.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive institutional based study of pregnant women presenting to Sudanese family planning association (SFPA), El-Fateh El-Nour clinic in El-Obeid city, North Kordofan state during rainy season from August to September 2021. The study covered 384 of pregnant women attending the clinic during study period. Data was collected using self-administrative questionnaire and Blood smears stained with Giemsa were used for malaria diagnosis by light microscopy. Simple random sampling technique was used to select participants. Data analyzed and processed using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) version (23.0) and Microsoft Excel (2010) software. Three hundred eighty four (384) of pregnant women were selected using simple random probability sampling.

Results: More than two third (70.7%) of pregnant women from urban area. Malaria prevalence was (44.3%), and was highest (45%) during the third trimester of pregnancy with no significant (p= 0.605). The distribution of infection was highest (50.9%) among age group 18 – 25 and lowest (1.8%) among age group more than 35 with no significant (p= 0.625). (42.4%) of pregnant women suffered from repeat infection with malaria and repeat it third times with (36.6%) with significant (p= 0.038). Plasmodium falciparum is predominant species. There was no statistically significant between malaria prevalence and education (p= 0.086). There was no statistically significant between malaria prevalence and age group (p= 0.0625).

Conclusion:  Study appears that malaria is presence among pregnant women are generally more affected with malaria due to lack of immune during gestational age of pregnancy.

Keywords: Malaria, Repeat, Pregnancy, Repeat, Rainy Season, Medication.

1. Navy Medical Department Center (2000); Guide to Malaria Prevention and Control, MALARIA: Disease, Life Cycle, Distribution. 2510 Walmer Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23513-2617
2. Kiran K. Dayananda, Rajeshwara N. Achur D. Channe Gowda (2018): Epidemiology, drug resistance, and pathophysiology of Plasmodium vivax malaria, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
3. Tegegne Y., Asmelash D., Ambachew S., Eshetie S., Addisu A. and Zeleke A. Jejaw. The Prevalence of Malaria among Pregnant Women in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Parasitology Research. Volume 2019, Article ID 8396091,9 pages. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/8396091
4. World Health Organization (2017) World malaria report 2016. https://bit.ly/3AjYM8u
5. Omer S A., Khalil E. A. Gasim, Sharief A. Hassan and Ali H Abdraham. Pregnancy-Associated Malaria  in  Sudan: Prevalence  and  Possible  Risk Factors; The Open Tropical Medicine Journal, 2011, 4, 6-10
6. World Health Organization (2020); World malaria report 2020: 20 years of global progress and challenges. ISBN 978-92-4-001579-1 (electronic version).
7. The World Health Report 2002: reducing risks, promoting healthy life. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2002
8. Geleta G. and Ketema T., (2016); Severe Malaria Associated with Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax among Children in Pawe Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, College of Natural Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
9. Federal Ministry of Health, 2017, Malaria Treatment Protocol, Khartoum, sudan, VOL: 42.
10. Federal Ministry of Health (2017); Laboratory Diagnosis of Malaria, Microscopy & Rapid diagnostic tests; Training Manual. Communicable & non Communicable disease control Directorate, Republic of Sudan.
11. Mohamed M. E., Osman K. (2004); Malaria in Sudan: past, present and the future. Gezira Journal Of Health Sciences 2004 vol.1
12. Elhag F., Abukashowa S., Abushama H., (2015); Parasitemia Level of Falciparum Malaria in El-Obeid, North Kordofan State, Sudan, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN (Online): 2319-7064 Index
13. Snow R. W., Guerra C. A., et al (2005); “The global distribution of clinical episodes of Plasmodium falciparum malaria,” Nature, vol. 434, no. 7030, pp. 214–217.
14. Desai M, ter Kuile FO, Nosten F, McGready R, Asamoa K, Brabin B, et al. Epidemiology and burden of malaria in pregnancy. The Lancet Infectious Diseases 2007 Feb;7(2):93-104
15. Ejike, B. , Ohaeri, C.  C., Amaechi  E.  C., Ejike, E.  N., Okike-Osisiogu, F. U., Irole-Eze,O.  P. and Belonwu, A. C. (2017);  Prevalence of falciparum malaria amongst pregnant women in  Aba  South  Local  Government  Area,  Abia  State,  Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Parasitology. ISSN 1117 4145 Volume 38[1] March 2017
16. Rogers K., Gertrude N, Enoch M. (2019); Malaria infections among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Bududa hospital, eastern Uganda. J. Protozool. Res. 29. 44-50 (2019)
17. Sohail M., Shakeel S., et al, (2015); Prevalence of Malaria Infection and Risk Factors Associated with Anaemia among Pregnant Women in Semiurban Community of Hazaribag, Jharkhand, India. BioMed Research International Volume 2015, Article ID 740512, 16 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/740512
18. Abdel Azizi M., Nadia N. A. Christelle, Cédric Y, Igor S. F. Eric, Christian N. Ouankou, Raoul S., Gabriel T. Henri and Mbida M. (2020); Comparative Study of Malaria Infections and Associated Risk Factors among Pregnant and Non- Pregnant Women in the Town of Foumbot, Western Region – Cameroon. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
19. Kevin B., J.; Bangs, Michael J.; Maguire, Jason D.; and Barcus, Mazie J. (2002), "Epidemiological Measures of Risk of Malaria", Public Health Resources. 385. Nebraska - Lincoln. Digital Commons@ University of Nebraska – Lincoln
20. Abbas D. Ackom, Mutala A., Agordzo S. Kekeli, Owusu C. Kwasi, Lawson B. W. Lartekwei and Badu K. Plasmodium falciparummalaria during pregnancy: the impact of parasitaemia and anaemia on birthweight. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.12.21261986
21. Rogers K, Gertrude N, Enoch M. (2019); Malaria infections among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Bududa hospital, eastern Uganda. Protozool. Res. 29. 44-50
22. Agomo C. O., Oyibo W. A., Anorlu R. I. and Agomo P. U., (2009); Prevalence of Malaria in Pregnant Women in Lagos, South-West Nigeria . Korean J Parasitol. Vol. 47, No. 2: 179-183, June 2009 DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2009.47.2.179
23. Abdullahi F. S., Abubakar B. M. D., Aliyu A. S., Umar I. A. and Usman N. S. (2015); Prevalence and risk factors associated with malaria infection among pregnant women in a semi-urban community of north-western Nigeria. Infectious Diseases of Poverty (2015) 4:24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-015-0054-0
24. A. IDOWU, C.F. MAFIANA and S. DAPO(2006); Malaria among pregnant women in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Tanzania Health Research Bulletin, Vol. 8, No. 1
25. Iwuchukwu IC and Vincent CN. Studies on prevalence of malaria and its adverse fetal outcomes in Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, IMO State, Nigeria. Arch Community Med Public Health 7(2): 151-163. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.17352/2455-5479.000156
26. Government of India (2009), national institute of malaria research and national vector borne disease control programme guidelines on ‘Diagnosis and Treatment of Malaria, Dawarka, New dellhi-110 077.
27. World Health Organization (2015); guideline for the treatment of malaria, third edition, Avenue, 1211Geneva 27, Switzerland.

Halima B. G. Tigaidi

Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public and Environmental Health, University of Kordofan, Sudan