Prevalence and Effects of Malaria Among HIVAIDS Pregnant Women Attending ANC A Case of Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Malaria is one of the most severe public health problems, placing almost half of the world’s population at risk for infection and is the leading cause of death. The risk and severity of contracting malaria can be elevated by HIV infection, and higher parasite burdens may contribute to higher malaria transmission rates. People who are semi-immune to malaria and live in malaria-endemic areas may also get clinical malaria if they have HIV. This study determined the prevalence and effects of malaria among HIV/AIDS positive pregnant women at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital Zimbabwe; identifying risk factors associated with co-infections of malaria and HIV; find out its impact on pregnancy outcome and the effectiveness of the current available treatments. A sample of 200 participants was randomly picked from the HIV-pregnant women. A cohort-retrospective study method was carried out to collect the data that was used to assess the impact of co-infections. The cohort-retrospective study focussed on assessing patient’s from their 2024 records. The collected data was the analysed using the SPSS software. The results revealed a malaria prevalence of 20% among the HIV-positive pregnant women, indicating a serious public health concern for this vulnerable population. The clinical assessments indicated lower haemoglobin levels (mean 9.0d/L) among the malaria-positive HIV pregnant women and higher hospitalisation rates (50%) compared to malaria-negative HIV pregnant women. Treatment adherence was noted to be 85% with an improvement rate of 70% among those who received treatment. However, non-adherence was associated with the worst outcomes, including hospitalisation and severe symptoms. These results indicates a crucial need for integrated healthcare strategies that combine malaria prevention and treatment with HIV care, emphasizing the importance of routine screening, education and support to enhance adherence and improve maternal health outcomes. These strategies can be enhanced by healthcare providers, public health officials, policy makers, research, community health workers and Non-governmental Organisations. This research provides valuable insights for healthcare providers and policymakers in addressing the dual burden of malaria and HIV among pregnant women.