Utilization of Intermittent Preventive Therapy (IPTP), Insecticide Treated Bednets (ITNs) And Other Protective Measures By Pregnant Women In Owerri, Imo-State, Nigeria

This study was conducted with 305 pregnant women  between the ages of 15 and 40 years, who attended antenatal clinic at the study center and had live babies after delivery. Positive malaria parasitemia was 40(33.33%) for those who used antimalarials for prophylaxis, 70(43.75%) for those who used them for therapeutic treatment and 10(40%) for those who used none of the above. Those who used insecticide treated nets (ITNs) only were 30(9.8%), insecticide sprays (IS) only 75(24.6%), mosquito coils(MC) only 5(1.6%), ITN & IS 25(8.2%), ITN & MC 0(0%), IS & MC 35(11.5%) and 135(44.3%) for those whose used no protective measure at all, respectively. Plasmodium falciparum was the only species of malaria parasite that was observed in all the examined blood samples. The study has shown that even with the level of awareness and health education given of recent to the use of intermittent preventive therapy and protective measures by pregnant women, most of them still do not comply with their usage as directed.

Keywords: Antimalarials, Insecticide Treated Bed Nets, Intermittent Preventive Therapy, MalariaParasitaemia, Pregnant Women