Abstract

Puerperal sepsis (P. sepsis) is the third chief cause of maternal deaths after hemorrhage and hypertension globally,
and the second chief cause after hemorrhage in Asia and Africa. However, among 139 maternal deaths from Uganda,
P. sepsis was observed to be the most frequent cause (30.9%), followed by hemorrhage (21.6%), hypertensive
disorders (14.4%), and abortion complications (10.8%). The annual maternal sepsis admissions rate at health facilities
in Uganda increased gradually from 28/10000 live births in 2013 to 50/10000 live births in 2017. In Jinja Regional
Referral Hospital, the exact prevalence of puerperal sepsis is unknown though it remains a major problem. This
study aimed at assessing the prevalence and risk factors of puerperal sepsis among reproductive aged women at Jinja
Regional Referral Hospital. This was a hospital based cross sectional observational and analytic study. A total of
200 randomly selected participants were recruited to participate in the study. A pre-tested semi structured
questionnaire was used to collect data from the study participants after verbal and written consent were obtained.
Descriptive analysis and chi square test of association were done using STATA version 14.0 to identify factors
associated with puerperal sepsis. The prevalence of puerperal sepsis among women in Jinja regional referral hospital
was 26.50% with 95% Confidence interval of 20.33 – 32.67. Age; X2(4, N=200) =28.95, P=0.011. Education level;
X2(3, N=200) =9.151, P=0.027 and alcohol consumption; X2(1, N=200) =9.807, P=0.002 were the sociodemographic
factors associated with puerperal sepsis meanwhile Mode of delivery; X2(2, N=200) =16.457, P=0.002,
Frequency of pelvic examinations in hours; X2(3, N=200) =8.283, P=0.004, Number of ANC visits; X2(3, N=200)
=20.404, P<0.001, and parity; X2(3, N=200) =29.990, P=0.025 were the obstetric factors associated with puerperal
sepsis. This study has shown that the prevalence of puerperal sepsis among women attending Jinja regional referral
hospital is very high when compared to majority of studies done in low resource settings. Puerperal sepsis poses a
public health burden on Jinja regional referral hospital which ultimately has an impact in achieving target 3 of
sustainable development goals.
Keywords: Puerperal sepsis, Hemorrhage, Hypertension, Maternal mortality, Women