A study was carried out on the status of malaria among 800 randomly selected pregnant women in Lagos State, Nigeria. Blood samples were obtained from finger pricking and tested for malaria parasites in thin blood films and 60% prevalence of malaria parasites was obtained. Interviews were conducted and structured questionnaires were administered to the pregnant women to obtain information on the clinical and social aspects of malaria. Results show that primigravidae accounted for a greater part of the 60% prevalence of malaria that affected mainly women in their 1st to 3rd month of pregnancy. The ages of the infected women ranged from 30 to 39 years (77%). Women with blood groups A and O had the highest prevalence of malaria, but there was no statistically significant difference between them and the uninfected women. Women with genotype AA had the highest prevalence of malaria, while pregnant women in Ikeja division had the highest incidence of malaria (41.7%). Majority of the infected women believed that mosquito bites and stress were responsible for their infection. Only 21.8% of the women did not associate mosquitoes with malaria. All the women were familiar with the symptoms of malaria but did not see it as a serious disease that could lead to death. Most of the women used bed nets but not the impregnated brands. There is need to educate women, especially during antenatal visits, on the severity of malaria and the risk of their susceptibility to it during pregnancy. RÉSUMÉLe statut du paludisme chez les femmes enceintes: une étude effectuée à Lagos, Nigéria. Nous avons mené une étude sur le statut du paludisme chez 800 femmes enceintes dans l'Etat de Lagos qui ont été selectionnées au hasard. Dés échantillons du sang ont été prélevés à travers la figure de droigt et ont été analysés pour déterminer la présence des parasites du paludisme dans de frottis de sang fluide. Nous avons obtenu 60% de la prévalence des parasites du paludisme. Des interviews ont été organisées et nous avons administré des questionnaires structurés auprès des femmes enceintes pour obtenir des renseignements sur des aspects cliniques et sociaux du paludisme. Les résultats ont montré qu'une plus grande partie de la 60% de prévalence du paludsme qui a atteint surtout les femmes entre le premier et le troisieme mois de grossesse étaient des primigravidae. La plus haute prévalence du paludisme était trouvée chez les femmes qui appartenaient aux groupes sanguins A et O, mais il n'y avait pas de différence importante du point de vue statistiques entre elles et les femmes qui n'ont pas été atteintes. Les femmes qui avaient le génotype AA avaient la plus haute prévalence alors que les femmes de la région d'Ikeja avaient la plus haute prévalence du paludisme (41,7%). La majorité des femmes atteintes ont cru que la piqure par les moustiques et le stress en étaient responsables de leur infection. Seules 21.8% des femmes qui n'ont pas lié les moustiques au paludisme. Toutes les femmes connaissaient bien les symptômes du paludisme mais ne le...

An entomological study was carried out in coastal Lagos, south-western Nigeria, to explore the role of Anopheles gambiae s.l. and An. moucheti in the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum in this holo-endemic area. Mosquitoes were caught, on human bait at night and by pyrethrum-spray catches during the day, twice a month throughout 2000. Of the 1812 Anopheles mosquitoes collected, An. gambiae s.l., the predominant vector species, represented 78.7% while the other 21.3% were An. moucheti. The results of a PCR-based test identified 56.8% of the mosquitoes of the An. gambiae complex collected as An. gambiae s.s., 36.9% as An. melas and 6.3% as An. arabiensis. Anopheles gambiae s.s. was predominantly recorded in the wet season, biting females being collected from May to October, with a peak in July. Anopheles melas and An. moucheti were present throughout the year-long study whereas An. arabiensis was mainly found in the dry season. The results of ELISA-based analyses of bloodmeals indicated that An. gambiae s.s., An. melas and An. moucheti were predominantly anthropophagic whereas An. arabiensis was largely zoophagic. Among all of the females investigated, 3.6% of the An. gambiae s.s., 1.9% of the An. melas, 1.8% of the An. moucheti and 0% of the An. arabiensis were found to be infected with P. falciparum (i.e. carrying the parasite's circumsporozoite antigen). The corresponding proportions for the females collected during the dry season were 1.3%, 2.3%, 2.7% and 0%. The entomological inoculation rates for An. melas and An. moucheti were significantly higher during the dry season than at other times of the year. Taken together, these results indicate that An. melas and An. moucheti maintain transmission of P. falciparum during the dry season, while the biting population ofAn. gambiae s.s. is relatively small.

Background:Two of the problems of malaria parasite vector control in Nigeria are the diversity of Anopheline vectors and large size of the country. Anopheline distribution and transmission dynamics of malaria were therefore compared between four ecotypes in Nigeria during the rainy season. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used in molecular identification after morphological identification microscopically. Enzyme linked immunorsorbent assay (ELISA) was used for the blood meal analysis and sporozoite detection. Results: Five species were identified out of 16,410 anophelines collected. An. gambiae s.s made up approximately 29.2%-36.6% of the population in each zone. All five species acted as vectors for P. falciparum. An. gambiae s.s had the highest sporozoite rate. The most infected mosquitoes were found in the rain forest. More blood meals were taken from bovids, except the savannah forest, where 73.3% were on humans and Human Blood index (HBI) was 57.3%. The Entomological inoculation rate (EIR) was a mean of 13.6 ib/p but was highest in the rainforest zone. Conclusions and limitations:This study demonstrates the complex distribution of anophelines and the considerable variations in the intensity of malaria transmission in Nigeria. We highlight the need to consider diverse epidemiological situations when planning countrywide control programmes. Key words: Malaria; vectors; Plasmodium falciparum; transmission dynamics; ecotypes RésuméFond: Deux des problèmes de la commande de vecteur de parasite de malaria au Nigéria sont la diversité des vecteurs d'Anopheline et grande taille du pays. La distribution d'Anopheline et la dynamique de transmission de la malaria ont été donc comparées entre quatre ecotypes au Nigéria pendant la saison des pluies. Méthodes: La réaction en chaîne de polymérase (PCR) a été employée dans l'identification moléculaire après identification morphologique au microscope. L'analyse immunorsorbent liée par enzyme (ELISA) a été employée pour la détection d'analyse et de sporozoite de repas de sang. Résultats: Cinq espèces ont été identifiées sur 16.410 anophelines rassemblés. gambiae s.s composés approximativement 29.2-36.6% de la population dans chaque zone. Chacune des cinq espèces a agi en tant que vecteurs pour P. falciparum. gambiae s.s a eu le taux de sporozoite le plus élevé. Les moustiques les plus infectés ont été trouvés dans la forêt tropicale . Plus de repas de sang ont été pris des bovids, excepté la forêt de la savane, où 73.3% étaient sur des humains et l'index humain de sang (HBI) était 57.3%. Le taux entomologique d'inoculation (EIR) était un moyen de 13.6 ib/p mais était le plus haut dans la zone de forêt tropicale.

Tropical parasitic diseases constitute the greatest threat to the health and socio -economic status of women as a gender and social group. There are some gender specific ways in which parasitic diseases affect women in contrast to men due to differences in exposure, occupational risk, sociocultural behavior, gender roles and practices. These parasitic diseases confer some social stigma, which affects the health seeking behavior of women. Women are therefore important in the control of these parasitic diseases and they are key agents of change, if they are included in community control programs. Women need more attention in endemic areas as a group that had been neglected. This deprived and excluded group have got vital role to play, as discussed in this review. Key words: Tropical parasitic diseases, women, Africa, sociocultural RésuméLes maladies parasitoses tropicales constituent une tres grande menace pour la santee. Un probleme socio economique aux femmes comme un genre et en tant qu'un groupe. Ils ya des manieres specifiques par les quelles ces maladies attaquent les femmes contrairement aux hommes a cause de la facon differente d'exposition, occupation, reagisment culture et social Cette maladie entraine une honte sociale et nuire la santee des femmes. Les femmes sont donc tres importantes, et meme des elements cles a conbatttre cette maladie si l'on les incure dans programmes de la commisnaute. En tant au qu'un groupe exclusif et negligee les femmes ont besoin de beaucoup d'attention puis quelles ont un role importante a jouer dans ce contexte.