Original Research Article
Year: 2022 | Month: September | Volume: 9 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 355-358
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20220939
Evaluating the Impact of Interventions for the Prevention and Management of Malaria in Pregnancy in Guyana
Ademola Biala
Senior Registrar, Obstetrics and Gynecology department, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Georgetown, Guyana
ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the impact of collaborative interventions between the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), in consultation with the GPHC ObGyn Residency program, on the incidence of Malaria in Pregnancy and associated maternal mortality in Guyana between 2012 and 2014.
Design & Methods: This was a retrospective observational study that analyzed data collected from the MOH Vector Control Unit and GPHC maternal mortality statistics. Pre- and post-intervention data were collectively analyzed.
Results: The results showed a steady rise in incidence of MIP per region prior to the introduction of the interventions in 2012. During and after implementation of the interventions, there was both an immediate (52%) and sustained (>20%) decrease in the number of new cases of MIP. While absolute numbers of maternal mortality secondary to MIP at GPHC were low (1 case per year), they contributed 50-100% of indirect maternal deaths in the years immediately prior to development of the MIP treatment guidelines at GPHC. After these guidelines were officially adopted in 2014, there have been no further maternal deaths associated with malaria.
Conclusions: These results suggest that the MOH and GPHC interventions are associated with significant decreases in both incidence of MIP on a national scale and maternal mortality at the institutional level. Future studies are needed to identify the impact of specific components of these interventions to guide future interventions aimed at eliminating both maternal morbidity and mortality associated with MIP in Guyana.
Keywords: Malaria-In-Pregnancy (MIP); Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs); Interventions.
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