Placental Malaria Prevalence of Infestation Amongst Febrile Pregnant Women in Central India: Maternal and Perinatal Outcome

Objective To determine the prevalence and impact of placental malaria on maternal and fetal outcome. Design Cross sectional observational. Setting The Department of Obstetrics of Government NSCB Medical College Hospital, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh). Population Five hundred parturient women with fever or history of fever during the present pregnancy. Method(s) Subjects were tested for peripheral and placental malaria by thick and thin smear examination. Maternal and perinatal outcome correlated with malaria results. Results(s) The mean age of the studied subjects was 24.5 ± 2.6 years, 60.6 % were primigravida, 87.2 % had unsatisfactory antenatal care. 89.2 % were not using effective malaria prevention measures. Peripheral smear positivity for malaria was detected in 1.8 % subjects and placental malaria positivity in 2.2 % subjects. The mean Hb was lower in malaric subjects (χ 2 = 14.47, p