The disease is uniquely dangerous for expectant mothers, making them one of the most vulnerable groups

Maeve Cullinan

Global Health Security Reporter

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Maeve Cullinan is a reporter for The Telegraph’s Global Health Security desk. She covers issues including disease outbreaks, conflict, global development, humanitarian crises, and sexual violence and has reported from Africa and Asia. She was named on the Press 30 under 30 list in 2025.

Published 22 October 2026 11:25am BST

Huge strides have been made in recent years in combating malaria but one group is more at risk than ever before: pregnant women.

They are uniquely vulnerable to the disease and because sub-Saharan Africa shoulders the burden of global cases the continent’s rapidly growing population means far more women are exposed today than at the turn of the millennium.

According to a recent study , 52 million pregnant women in Africa face the threat of malaria each year, up from 37 million in 2000.

And the toll is heavy: malaria…