Malaria at delivery in Abidjan

In 198 consecutive deliveries in a region holoendemic for malaria, 39.4% of the mothers had malarial parasitaemia. Cord blood parasitaemia was found in 43 cases (55% of infected mothers). The incidence of malaria decreased with increasing parity possibly related to age. Malaria is partly responsible of the low birthweights and of the genesis of pre-term and small for date babies. A correlation between nutritional status and malarial infection was shown. According to IgM concentrations in cord blood, 2.5% of newborns had an intrauterine infection of unknown origin.