women

In the opening to WHO's World Malaria Report 2019, subtitled Leaving no one behind in the march to a malaria-free world, WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that the scourge of malaria continues to strike hardest against pregnant women and children in Africa. The Director-General reported that “some 11 million pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa were infected with malaria and, consequently, nearly 900 000 children were born with a low birthweight”. Furthermore, he noted that “Malaria in pregnancy compromises the mother's health and puts her at greater risk of death. It impacts the health of the fetus, leading to prematurity and low birthweight, major contributors to neonatal and infant mortality.”