| Abstract: | Though not known why, pregnant women are far more susceptible to Plasmodium falciparum malaria during their first pregnancies. Therefore, in sub-Saharan African countries endemic for malaria, almost half of all primigravidae will be parasitemic at their first antenatal visit. Some estimate that up to half of all low birth weight babies born to primigravidae in malaria-endemic areas may be attributable to malaria. Intrauterine growth in the context of maternal parasitemia therefore has major adverse implications for child survival. For the mothers, the prevalence of anemia among pregnant women is greatly increased in malarious areas, and iron-deficiency anemia in pregnant women in developed countries has been associated with pre-term birth and low birth weight. These adverse health and developmental consequences of malaria infection among mothers and their babies is compounded by the absence of any widely-applied recommendation for malaria control in pregnant women in Africa. Current control strategies are nonetheless described. The influence of HIV infection in relation to the effectiveness of malaria drug control during pregnancy has not been assessed. |
