Abstract:
Background: Malaria in pregnancy is an enormous public health problem,
with considerable risks to the mother, her fetus and the neonate. A good
knowledge of malaria chemoprophylaxis in pregnancy and practice are
required to reduce the disease burden. Objective: To determine the
knowledge and practice of malaria chemoprophylaxis in pregnancy using
sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) among antenatal care providers in Jos-
North Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. Methods: This was
a cross-sectional survey carried out among antenatal care providers (ACPs)
in selected facilities in Jos-North Local Government Area. Pre-tested
structured questionnaires were used to obtain information such as: cadre of
ACPs, knowledge, routine provision and existence of malaria
chemoprophylaxis protocol. The data were analyzed using IBM-SPSS 22.0.
Results: Of the 314 ACPs, 276 (88.0%) had general knowledge of WHO’s
intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in pregnancy (IPTp), 218
(69.5%) had correct knowledge of IPTp-SP, 262 (83.4%) routinely offer
IPTp, irrespective of the agents used while 122 (56.1%) had correct practice
of IPTp-SP. An estimated 191 (61%) were aware of IPTp-protocols, 123
(39.0%) of ACPs either lack or were not aware of the existence of any
guidelines in their centers. A significant 193 (61.4%) of ACPs coadministration
of sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine and folic acid, 241 (76.6 %)
commenced IPTp after the first-trimester. Conclusion: Despite high levels
of awareness of IPTp-SP, correct practice of IPTp-SP remains far below
national and global targets, indicating that there are deficiencies in delivery
of IPTp-SP.
