About Us
We are a research consortium of 47 partner institutions in 31 countries around the world, joined in the fight against malaria in pregnancy and committed to improving its control and treatment in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Malaria in pregnancy is a major cause of severe maternal anaemia and preventable low birth weight in infants, which greatly increases the risk of death. In Africa its complications are responsible for as many as 100,000 infants dying needlessly every year.
The Consortium, led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, has received an initial grant of $30 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and is also supported by the European Union and EDCTP. We continue to seek additional funding from other donors. The five year programme will directly benefit the 50 million women globally who face exposure to malaria whilst pregnant every year.
The primary aims of the research address four key areas:
Burden
- Obtain a better understanding of the burden of malaria in pregnancy in regions outside Africa where malaria is common but less is known than for Africa.
Treatment
- Further evaluate which of the new generation of antimalarial drugs can be used safely and effectively for the treatment of pregnant women with malaria in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Prevention
- Identify safe alternative antimalarials for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy in Africa to replace the commonly used drug sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (to which many malaria parasites have developed resistance).
- Determine the most effective combinations of drugs and other tools that reduce the risk of mosquito bites (e.g. insecticide treated nets), thus preventing malaria in pregnancy.
- Evaluate new interventions for the control of malaria in pregnancy in low transmission regions outside of Africa e.g. the Asia/Pacific region and Latin America.
- Evaluate new interventions for the control of malaria in pregnancy in PNG.
Coverage and utilisation
- Establish the best way to increase the coverage and utilisation of existing strategies to control malaria in pregnancy.