News outlets report on the findings of two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine looking at malaria treatment and prevention among pregnant women in Africa. One study evaluated four different anti-malaria drug combinations for treating pregnant women with malaria, and another study examined an artemisinin-based therapy for malaria prevention among pregnant women in Africa.

HealthDay News: Combo Treatment Protects Pregnant Women, Fetuses From Malaria in Study
“A combination drug therapy widely used to treat malaria in adults also protects pregnant women and their fetuses from the disease, according to a new study. Malaria is a leading cause of premature birth, low birth weight, and death among infants in Africa, the researchers said…” (Preidt, 3/9).

NPR: Studies Reinforce The Urgency Of Treating Pregnant Women With Malaria
“…[T]wo studies and an editorial in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine are reminders that malaria, a disease that killed about half a million people in 2015, also has profound consequences for pregnant women and their infants. The new studies provide much-needed guidance on how to prevent and treat malaria during pregnancy…” (Brink, 3/9).

VOA News: Study: New Treatment Cuts Malaria Infection Risk in Pregnant Women
“…Researchers have been experimenting with an artemisinin-based therapy, called dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine. In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dorsey and colleagues reported that treatment with the drug combination dramatically reduced the risk of malaria in a group of 300 Ugandan women, none of whom was infected when the study began…” (Berman, 3/9).