African malaria specialists from ten African countries began a meeting in Mozambican capital Maputo on Monday, to discuss treatment of the disease in pregnant women.

The meeting, which will last until Friday, is financed by the Spanish International Cooperation Agency and participated by specialists from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Angola, Senegal and Mozambique.

The organization believes that the Maputo meeting may stimulate innovative proposals with a positive impact on mother and child health in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to Francisco Saute, director of the Mozambican malaria control program, the meeting is holding some new concepts.

"There are details that still have to be clarified so that the scientific community can find a better approach to the question of malaria during pregnancy," he said.

Saute said that in Mozambique, about 20 percent of pregnant women carry the malaria parasite in their blood, and that between 15 and 30 percent of maternal deaths are due to malaria. Therefore, malaria among pregnant women has become a matter of great concern, since the women in question become extremely vulnerable.

Saute added that the Mozambican Health Ministry hopes to make its new strategy for treating malaria in pregnancy operational before the end of 2005. This strategy rests on administering up to three doses of the anti-malarial drug Fansidar to women during their routine ante-natal consultations.

During their stay here, the participants will visit the Mozambique's Health Research Center at Manhica town, some 80 km north of Maputo city, where work on developing a malaria vaccine is under way.

Source: Xinhua