A landmark nationwide review has raised fresh concerns about the health of Nigerian newborns, revealing that babies are still being born with malaria contracted from their mothers during pregnancy, with reported prevalence ranging from 5.1 per cent to an alarming 96.3 per cent across different studies.
The study, published in the Malaria Journal, warns that congenital malaria—a condition in which malaria parasites are transmitted from an infected mother to her baby before or during birth—remains an under-recognised but significant public health challenge in Nigeria, one of the world’s most malaria-endemic countries.
The review was conducted by Emmanuel Kokori, Gbolahan Olatunji, Bonaventure Michael Ukoaka, Israel Charles Abraham, Rosemary Komolafe, Victor Oluwatomiwa Ajekiigbe, Ntishor Gabriel Udam, Stanley Eneh, Chidiogo Ezenwoba, Adetola Emmanuel Babalola, Oluwatobi Omoworare, and Nicholas Aderinto.
The researchers said the wide variation in reported prevalence reflects differences in malaria transmission, diagnostic methods, healthcare access, and study settings across the country,
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