Imported malaria in pregnant women: report from a French University Centre

Objective To describe malaria during pregnancy outside endemic areas. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed all cases of imported malaria during pregnancy, diagnosed over a 11-year period in a French hospital. Results and conclusion We recovered 18 cases, all from sub-Saharan countries. The infection could appear distantly from arrival in France (up to 36 months), was asymptomatic in 3 cases, with anemia being the most common marker of infection ( n = 14). The adverse consequences for the fetus ( n = 3) or the newborn ( n = 4) were frequent. Physicians should be aware of these atypical presentations in order to anticipate the diagnosis and improve the maternal and fetal prognosis.