Malaria Prevalence Around Maferinyah, Guinea

Background: Many women in Sub-Saharan Africa get malaria while they are pregnant. Plasmodium falciparum is a parasite that can cause malaria. Placental malaria (PM) caused by P. falciparum can cause anemia or death in first-time mothers. In infants, it can cause low birth weight, premature birth, or other problems. Some women don t show any signs of having PM. This makes it harder to know if they might have it. Researchers want to learn how much the seasons affect the number of women and infants who get PM as well as the severity of the disease. To do this, they are going to test women and babies who visit a health center in Guinea. Objective: To learn the seasonal burden of P. falciparum infection in pregnant women and otherwise healthy infants. Eligibility: Pregnant women ages 18 years and older (or emancipated minors) and infants ages 6-12 months. Design: Participants will include women and infants who visit the health center in Maf(SqrRoot)(Registered Trademark)rinyah, Guinea, for routine care. They can take part only once per pregnancy. For screening, mothers will talk about their medical history. They will talk about their past pregnancies and their current pregnancy. They will answer questions about where they live and what they do to keep from getting malaria. Babies will be screened with their medical history and demographic information. Participants will also give a blood sample. Adults will have a finger stick. Children will have a heel stick. Or they will have blood taken from a vein. Participation will last for 1 visit to the health center.