In 2021 alone, an estimated 13.3 million pregnancies were exposed to malarial infection in this region.
The coexistence of malnutrition further exacerbates the risks associated with malaria during pregnancy, significantly increasing the risk of adverse birth outcomes, such as low birthweight (LBW), which is a major risk factor for neonatal and infant mortality. Malaria during pregnancy also predisposes women to micronutrient deficiencies, exacerbating the risk of adverse outcomes.
Published in March 2024, an article from Devex describes the urgent need to include pregnant women in clinical malaria #research. Traditionally, this group was excluded from studies due to potential risks, leading to a lack of safe and effective treatment options for pregnant women, who are particularly vulnerable to malaria.
Finding new tools to protect and treat pregnant women at risk of malaria must be a priority today.
This is why at Nutriset Group we are seeking to document this question: do lipid-based nutritional supplements (LNS) in combination with IPTp reduce malaria in pregnant women and improve maternal nutritional status and birth outcomes in regions of high food insecurity and high malaria prevalence?
