Malaria and Helminthic Co-Infection during Pregnancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Malaria and helminthic co-infection during pregnancy causes fetomaternal haemorrhage and foetal growth retardation. This study determined the pooled burden of pregnancy malaria and helminthic co-infection in sub-Saharan Africa. CINAHL, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were used to retrieve data from the literature, without restricting language and publication year. The Joanna Briggs Institute’s critical appraisal tool for prevalence studies was used for quality assessment. STATA Version 14.0 was used to conduct the meta-analysis. The I2 statistics and Egger’s test were used to test heterogeneity and publication bias. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence at a 95% confidence interval (CI). The review protocol has been registered in PROSPERO, with the number CRD42019144812. In total, 24 studies (n = 14,087 participants) were identified in this study. The pooled analysis revealed that 20% of pregnant women were co-infected by malaria and helminths in sub-Saharan Africa. The pooled prevalence of malaria and helminths were 33% and 35%, respectively. The most prevalent helminths were Hookworm (48%), Ascaris lumbricoides (37%), and Trichuris trichiura (15%). Significantly higher malaria and helminthic co-infection during pregnancy were observed. Health systems in sub-Saharan Africa must implement home-grown innovative solutions to underpin context-specific policies for the early initiation of effective intermittent preventive therapy.

Screening for Resistant Bacteria, Antimicrobial Resistance Genes, Sexually Transmitted Infections and Schistosoma spp. in Tissue Samples from Predominantly Vaginally Delivered Placentae in Ivory Coast and Ghana

“…Fetal deaths in Ghana, in contrast, were found to be associated with fetal infections in 9.7% to 13.0% of cases [ 3 , 4 ] and placental inflammation in up to 24.8% of cases [ 4 ]. As repeatedly demonstrated, viral, bacterial, mycobacterial and parasitological infections threaten the health of mother and fetus [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. For Ivory Coast, fewer respective studies have been published, but available data nevertheless indicate relevant pregnancy-associated infection risks [ 17 ].…”

Prevalence of and factors associated with placental malaria in the White Nile State: a cross-sectional study

“…Mangusho et al have shown that 26.1% of pregnant women in Uganda had P. falciparum malaria [11]. Recently, in their meta-analysis of 24 studies (n = 14,087 pregnant women), Boltena et al [19] indicated that the pooled prevalence of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa was 33.0%. Moreover, a previous meta-analysis of 35 studies indicated that the overall prevalence of asymptomatic P. falciparum infection was 26.1% in pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa [9].…”

Malaria, Urogenital Schistosomiasis, and Anaemia in Pregnant Ghanaian Women

“…About 1.5 billion infections resulting from malaria and helminthiases contribute to pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality [ 1 ], exposing the foetus to several complications including anaemia, still birth, intrauterine growth retardation, and low birth weight infants [ 2 , 3 ]. Malaria and schistosomiasis are widespread parasitic infections in tropical and subtropical regions including Ghana [ 4 , 5 ] and pose a double disease burden during pregnancy in coendemic areas.…”