Abstract

Malaria, syphilis and Hepatitis B during pregnancy are detrimental to the life of the pregnant women and the foetus. In this study, we documented the prevalence of the three diseases among pregnant women attending a selected Comprehensive Health Care center in Osogbo, Nigeria using serological kits. Of the 200 participants consented to participate in the study, 26 (13%) were positive for malaria while 6 (3%) were positive for Hapatitis B Virus (HBV). The co-infection of malaria and HBV was found only in two participants (1%) while none of the participants was positive for syphilis. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of malaria and Hepatitis B in relation to age (p > 0.05).  All the participants had good knowledge that mosquitoes transmit malaria but only 29 (14.5%) claimed to be sleeping under insecticide treated bed-net. About 169 (84.5%) relied solely on insecticide spray of the room and 2 (1%) did not practice any mosquito control measures. The results may suggest the low prevalence of malaria, Hepatitis B virus and syphilis at the study area. However, early surveillance and adequate public health education will be immeasurable in safe-guiding the pregnant women from the detrimental effects of these infections.

Key words: Malaria, syphilis, hepatitis B virus, pregnant women, co-infection, Nigeria.