Sidiki Ngouyamsa N A, Payne Vincent Khan, Cedric Yamssi, Nadia Noumedem A C
Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 067, Dschang, Cameroon.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bamenda, P.O. Box 39 Bambili, Cameroon.
J Parasitol Res. 2020 Jul 18;2020:7438317. doi: 10.1155/2020/7438317. eCollection 2020.
Malaria is one of the major public health problems in many tropical developing countries including Cameroon. Impregnated mosquito bed nets are one of the control measures put in place by the WHO and adopted by the Cameroon's Ministry of Public Health to fight against malaria in pregnancy. This study was a population-based cross-sectional study that investigated the level of adherence, respondent's knowledge, altitude, and practices toward malaria prevention and control.
To investigate this, a sample size of 410 pregnant women who were inhabitants of Foumban Subdivision was examined. Data on net ownership versus usage, pregnancy status, and socioeconomic background were collected using a questionnaire. Parasitological tests for malaria parasites were carried out using peripheral blood samples obtained from finger pricks of the pregnant women for the preparation of thick blood smear and RDTs.
Two hundred and eighteen tested positive (53.4%) with the highest prevalence occurring during the first trimester (79.6%) and in primigravidae (68.8%). Participants believed that mosquito bed nets can protect them against malaria infection. The highest number (81.0%) of the women who had mosquito nets acquired them during antenatal visits. Among those who possessed nets, 42.7% adhered to sleeping under them and few (50%) experienced problems of sweating, discomfort, and heat. Also, the study revealed a high prevalence rate of 63.8% for those who did not use nets during pregnancy as compared to those who owned and used them.
The findings indicated that increased access to impregnated mosquito bed nets is required to lower the risk of malaria infection amongst pregnant women. The Cameroon government should improve health education to families within the locality and pursue an integrated approach to fight against mosquitoes during the rainy season.
疟疾是包括喀麦隆在内的许多热带发展中国家面临的主要公共卫生问题之一。浸渍蚊帐是世界卫生组织实施并被喀麦隆公共卫生部采用的控制疟疾的措施之一，用于预防孕期疟疾。本研究是一项基于人群的横断面研究，旨在调查对疟疾预防和控制的依从水平、受访者的知识、海拔以及相关做法。
为进行此项调查，对410名居住在福班分区的孕妇进行了检查。通过问卷调查收集了蚊帐拥有情况与使用情况、妊娠状态和社会经济背景等数据。使用从孕妇手指采血制备厚血涂片和快速诊断检测（RDT）的外周血样本进行疟原虫的寄生虫学检测。
218人检测呈阳性（53.4%），其中孕早期患病率最高（79.6%），初产妇患病率最高（68.8%）。参与者认为蚊帐可以保护她们免受疟疾感染。拥有蚊帐的女性中，最高比例（81.0%）是在产前检查时获得的。在拥有蚊帐的人中，42.7%坚持睡在蚊帐下，很少有人（50%）经历出汗、不适和闷热问题。此外，研究显示，与拥有并使用蚊帐的人相比，孕期未使用蚊帐的人患病率高达63.8%。
研究结果表明，需要增加浸渍蚊帐的可及性，以降低孕妇感染疟疾的风险。喀麦隆政府应加强对当地家庭的健康教育，并在雨季采取综合方法防治蚊虫。
