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Malaria incidence increased with presence of placental malaria
Exposure to placental malaria did not increase incidence of malaria in infants born to first-time mothers, according to study findings published recently .
“We found that rates of malaria infection and clinical malaria were similar in infants of [primigravidae] with [placental malaria] and [multigravidae] with or without [placental malaria] but they were substantially lower in infants of [primigravidae] without [placental malaria],” researchers wrote in a recent issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. “Incidence of malaria was significantly higher in poor households and rural areas.”
The prospective cohort study included infants born to 355 primigravidae women and 1,500 multigravidae women with or without placental malaria (PM). Three groups of infants were included: those born to multigravidae without PM, multigravidae with PM and primigravidae with PM.
Researchers found that incidence of malaria parasitemia and clinical malaria was similar among all three groups. Infants born to first time mothers without PM had lower incidences of malaria parasitemia (aHR=0.64; 95% CI, 0.48-0.86) and clinical malaria (aHR=0.60; 95% CI, 0.43-0.84) compared with the three study groups. The poorest infants had about a two times higher incidence of malaria parasitemia or clinical malaria compared with the least poor infants.
“These results suggest that coverage of these interventions needs to be improved to reduce the risk to mothers or infants posed by malaria in pregnancy in high transmission settings,” researchers wrote. “Given the differences in the risk of malaria in different socio-economic groups and different areas, these results underline the importance of ensuring that resources for malaria control reach the rural poor for maximum impact.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
