Malaria in pregnancy: priorities for research

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Tropical Medicine

Background:

• Malaria in pregnancy is a significant but under-researched area impacting maternal and child health.
• Existing knowledge on malaria in pregnancy is fragmented, necessitating targeted research to address critical gaps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prioritize research needs for malaria in pregnancy, focusing on actionable improvements for maternal and child health.
• To identify key areas for near- and mid-term research to combat malaria in pregnancy effectively.

Main Methods:

• Review of seven technical papers on malaria in pregnancy to synthesize current knowledge.
• Prioritization of research areas based on their potential to improve maternal and child health outcomes in endemic regions.

Main Results:

• Highest research priorities include: developing new safe and effective antimalarial drugs for pregnant women.
• Identifying alternative drugs to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy.
• Determining optimal combinations of malaria control measures for diverse epidemiological settings and effective scaling-up strategies for interventions like insecticide-treated nets and intermittent preventive treatment.

Conclusions:

• Urgent, focused research is needed to address critical gaps in malaria in pregnancy management.
• Prioritized research areas offer the greatest potential for near- to mid-term improvements in maternal and child health in malaria-endemic regions.