The Malaria in Pregnancy Working Group of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership has published two statements with recommendations on malaria and pregnancy: 

1) The first document, a joint statement by RBM and the Alliance for Malaria Prevention, proposes the continuous distribution of insecticidal nets, with the aim of reaching universal coverage in malaria control. This strategy is based on the fact that a large proportion of pregnant women attend antenatal care at least once and on the great success of the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) that has reached high global coverage. The statement concludes that, in addition to mass distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets, national health programs should give priority to the distribution of and counselling on the use insecticidal nets during antenatal care visits and child immunization sessions. 

2) The second statement offers guidelines on folic acid supplementation during pregnancy in malaria-endemic regions. Based on evidence that high doses of folic acid may interfere with the efficacy of antimalarial treatments, the document advises that high doses (5 mg) should only be used for specific medical conditions and recommends that countries prioritize the procurement and distribution of the combined dose of o.4 mg folic acid plus 30-60 mg of iron as part of routine antenatal care.

The RBM Partnership was launched in 1998 by the World Health Organization, UNICER, UNDP and the World Bank as a joint effort to provide a coordinated and global action against malaria. The Malaria in Pregnancy (MiP) Working Group offers strategic advice for improving and scaling up interventions for the prevention and control of malaria during pregnancy. Because of ISGlobal's long-standing research experience in this field, it was invited in 2012 to join the MiP Working Group.   

Malaria infection during pregnancy poses a high risk to the mother and the child. In Africa, almost 25 million pregnant women are susceptible of contracting malaria each year, but less then 5% receive treatment.