The Impact of Malaria in Pregnancy on Infant Susceptibility to Malaria Infection

Abstract

Malaria infection during pregnancy is a significant global health problem with substantial
risks for pregnant women, her foetus, and the newborn child. Infant malaria is a major
public health concern in Timika, Papua. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact
of malaria during pregnancy on infant’s susceptibility to malaria infections, the timing of
its occurrence, the number of malaria infections during pregnancy. This was a cohort
prospective study conducted in Timika, Papua from October 2013 to September 2016.
Malaria investigation was done by microscopic and PCR methods. Demographic data and
malaria status of mother-infant pairs were collected and analyzed by SPSS 22.0 version.
One hundred seventy-eight infants consisting of 95 (53.37%) infants born to mothers
with malaria and 83 (46.63%) without malaria 91 (51.12%) boys and 87 (48.88%) girls
were involved in the study. The mean of mothers’ ages were 25.35 ± 6.30 vs. 26.0 ±
5.69 years. At the ages of 6 and 12 months, infants born to malaria positive mothers
were more susceptible to malaria infections compared to infants born to malaria negative
mothers with RR = 3.49; 95%CI: 1.02-11.96; p = 0.03 and RR = 8.74; 95%CI: 1.14-
66.81; p = 0.01, respectively. Independent risk factors of infant susceptibility to malaria
infection during the first year of life were malaria in pregnancy (MiP) in 2nd trimester (RR
= 4.50; 95%CI: 1.5-13.49; p = 0.07), pregnant women who only got malaria infection
1 time during pregnancy (RR=2.95; 95%CI: 1.04-8.33; p = 0.04), and Papuan ethnicity
(RR=3.58; 95%CI: 1.22-10.59; p = 0.02). In conclusion, infant susceptibility to malaria
is associated with maternal malaria status during pregnancy. MiP in second trimester,
pregnant women who only had malaria once and Papuan ethnicity were independent risk
factors for infant’s increased susceptibility to malaria infection.