The First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has appealed to international advocates and stakeholders focused on preventing malaria in pregnancy to intensify their efforts in promoting the use of Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) to safeguard pregnant women and their unborn babies from the harmful consequences of malaria during pregnancy.

Mrs. Akufo-Addo made this plea during her address at one of several events organized by Devet on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The event, titled “Protecting Pregnant Women against Malaria: Speeding up Uptake to IPTp in Affected African Countries,” was sponsored and convened by RBM Partnership To End Malaria.

The First Lady emphasized the importance of pregnant women receiving Intermittent Preventive Treatment at least three times during pregnancy, in addition to sleeping under treated bed nets and effective malaria case management when needed.

She called for ensuring the ready availability of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) at healthcare facilities and improving the supply chain system for SP distribution and access.

Mrs. Akufo-Addo also reaffirmed the commitment of the Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation to support Ghana’s Malaria Prevention Program through education, awareness creation, medical outreaches, distribution of insecticide-treated nets, and the construction of more primary health facilities (known as CHPS compounds) in Ghana.

The First Lady of Liberia, Clar Weah, who was present at the event, expressed her admiration for Mrs. Akufo-Addo’s work in malaria prevention and cited it as an inspiration for her own efforts in Liberia.

Globally, one in three pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa’s moderate to high transmission countries suffers from malaria during pregnancy, leading to maternal anemia and fetal malaria. It is responsible for approximately 10,000 maternal and 100,000 newborn deaths each year.

In 2022, the malaria in pregnancy working group of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria launched the “Speed Up Scale Up IPTP campaign” to enhance access to IPTp for eligible pregnant women.

Over 1,000 individuals from 300 organizations across 43 countries in Africa endorsed a letter under this campaign, urging decision-makers to support the provision of malaria preventive treatment to all eligible pregnant women.