In malarious areas, pregnant women are more likely to have detectable malaria than are their non-pregnant peers, and the excess risk of infection varies with gravidity. Pregnant women attending antenatal clinic for their first visit are a potential pragmatic sentinel group to track the intensity of malaria transmission; however, the relation between malaria prevalence in children, a standard measure to estimate malaria endemicity, and pregnant women has never been compared.

Anaemia is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. The prevalence of anaemia in non-pregnant and pregnant African women (47.5% versus 57.1%) and Southeast Asian women (45.7% versus 48.2%) suggests that majority of reproductive age women at risk for anaemia reside in these countries. Anaemia in pregnant women from developing countries remains as a major public health concern despite a few decades of efforts through special policies and national programmes. (Correspondence)

How to finance progress towards universal health coverage in low-income and middle-income countries is a subject of intense debate. We investigated how alternative tax systems aff ect the breadth, depth, and height of health system coverage. The researchers used cross-national longitudinal fi xed effects models to assess the relationships between total and different types of tax revenue, health system coverage, and associated child and maternal health outcomes in 89 low-income and middle-income countries from 1995–2011.

Original Source

Pregnancy is usually a happy time for women and their families. But, for some women, pregnancy ends unhappily. Some women lose their baby during early pregnancy (spontaneous abortion or miscarriage) or during late pregnancy (stillbirth). Others have their baby earlier than expected (preterm birth) or have a baby with low birth weight, two outcomes that adversely affect the baby’s survival and long-term health.