International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Regular antenatal screenings are proving to be effective in reducing the number of malaria-related deaths among pregnant females in Thailand and Myanmar.

According to Rose McGready of the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, there has been a "massive reduction" in the number of maternal fatalities linked to the disease along the border of the two countries in recent months.

This has been attributed to the fact more women in the region have been able to undergo antenatal screenings on a regular basis, so cases of the disease can be identified.

As a result, Ms McGready believes this approach could "play a larger part" in tackling malaria on the Thailand/Myanmar border in the future.

"This gives us hope and shows that deaths from malaria are preventable," she commented.

However, Ms McGready acknowledged maternal death rates remain high among the "more mobile migrant populations" and are a problem that need to be addressed.

Posted by Paul Robertson