An analysis of malaria in pregnancy in Africa

Abstract

This article summarizes information and specific evidence regarding the epidemiology of malaria in pregnancy in Africa. Malaria infection is more frequent and severe in primigravidae both during pregnancy and at the time of delivery. A study of pregnant women living under holoendemic conditions in western Kenya showed that the peak prevalence of infection in primigravidae (85.7%) and multigravidae (51.7%) occurred at 13-16 weeks' gestation. There were a similar number of recoveries in both groups during the second and third trimester. The loss of immunity in early pregnancy was equivalent to an 11-fold decrease in the rate of recovery from infection. The recovery seen in late pregnancy suggests that the women mount a satisfactory immune response to malaria infection, reacquiring their pre-pregnancy immune status at about the time of delivery. The pattern of infection in pregnancy is comparable to that observed in infants and children. What the child achieves over several years the mother reachieves in nine months; the pattern is repeated in successive pregnancies. The practical implications of this pattern of malaria in pregnancy are discussed.