Malaria takes a devastating toll on pregnant women and their babies across Africa. Now a pioneering EU-funded project is working on a new vaccine to increase protection.
By Vittoria D’Alessio
Malaria remains a deadly threat for pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa, often leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, low birthweight and serious illness.
Now, an EU-funded collaborative research project is aiming to protect women before they become pregnant – an approach that could transform maternal and newborn health in regions where malaria is endemic.
Dr Flavia D’Alessio heads vaccine research at the European Vaccine Initiative (EVI) in Heidelberg, Germany, and is coordinating the five-year ADVANCE-VAC4PM project that runs until 2027. She explained the rationale behind the initiative.
“When a woman becomes pregnant for the first time, she is particularly vulnerable to malaria. The parasite infects red blood cells that can then pass into the placenta and accumulate there, causing very adverse outcomes for both mother and baby.”
The aim is to develo
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