Malaria infection in pregnancy is a major public health concern and an important contributor to maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in malaria-endemic countries. Pregnant women are particularly susceptible to malaria, and in low- transmission settings they have a greater risk of severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria. P. Falciparum infected red cells sequester in the placenta, disrupting nutritional exchange between mother and fetus and causing intrauterine growth retardation. Malaria is associated with an increased risk of abortion, stillbirth, and low birth weight. Introduction: Malaria in pregnancy is detrimental to the woman and her fetus and collective data demonstrate that the risk of adverse effects from untreated malaria in pregnancy outweighs those of treatment.
The protozoan parasites P. falciparum , P. vivax , P. malariae and P. ovale (extremely rarely P. knowlesi ),…
