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Impressive gains have been achieved in malaria control, but with reduced exposure comes delayed acquisition of immunity. Pregnant women and their offspring are unusually vulnerable to this disease.
To examine the consequences of decreased malaria transmission on pregnant women, investigators assessed the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum infection in Mozambican women who delivered infants between 2003 and 2012, a period of marked decline in such transmission. The 1819 women involved in the study were participants in earlier clinical trials of antimalarial drugs (2003–2005, 2010–2012), during which specimens were obtained.
The prevalence of maternal malaria by microscopic exam at delivery decreased from 12% in 2003–2004 to 1% in 2010 but inc…