Malaria in Pregnancy

Are you at Risk?

Throught your lifetime from childhood to adulthood, you get exposed to malaria infections and progressively your body builds immunity. That explains why adults rarely get severe forms of malaria compared to children. However, we have groups of adults who still get severe forms of malaria and these include, HIV patients, Cancer patients and Pregnant mothers as well.

All these groups have one thing in common and that is reduced immunity. In pregnancy, due to the many changes, also the immunity of the mother is reduced and thus can easily get lifethreatening malaria. This does not only affect the mother but also your unborn baby with risks of:

  • Premature delivery
  • Low birth weight
  • Fetal loss
  • Intrauterine fetal death (IUFD)
  • Maternal Aneamia
  • Many others
Sign you have malaria during pregnancy
  • Fevers
  • Joint pains
  • Malaise
  • General Body weakness
  • Loss of appetite
  • Headache
  • etc

Interventions

These are the globally and locally accepted measures for all pregnant mothers to safe guard yourself from malaria or severe form.

  • Use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets
  • Intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp). Ask your doctor about this as all pregnant mothers starting from second trimester are supposed to take Oral Fansidar.
  • Effective case management (diagnosis and treatment of illness). Visit your doctor whenever you experience some of the mentioned signs.

Taking folic acid and Iron will also protect you from getting aneamia and becoming weak.

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