Interviewer instructions
During pregnancy, a woman's immune system is weakened, making her more susceptible to malaria infection than women who are not pregnant. Malaria in pregnant women can cause several complications that are dangerous to the mother and unborn child, including severe malaria and death, maternal anaemia and low birthweight in newborns. The World Health Organization recommends that pregnant women in malaria-endemic areas take a treatment dose of SP/Fansidar (usually three tablets taken all at once) as a preventive measure, once a month during the third trimester of pregnancy (months 7, 8 and 9 of the pregnancy). Such preventive treatment with SP/Fansidar, usually given during antenatal visits, is known as intermittent preventive treatment (IPT). The generic name for SP/Fansidar is sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, and other brand names can exist. Other antimalarial medicines can be used as a preventive measure as well. Circle the code corresponding to the answer given. Medicines to prevent malaria include only those medicines that a woman takes during pregnancy when she does not already have malaria. If the respondent took medicines during pregnancy when she did not already have malaria, continue to the next question. If the respondent did not take any medicine to prevent her from getting malaria, circle '2'. If she does not know whether she received treatment to prevent malaria during her last pregnancy, circle '8' for 'DK'. In both cases, skip to MN7. If the respondent says that she had malaria or a fever during the pregnancy and was given medicines to treat the malaria or fever, this would not be considered preventive treatment. In such a case, circle '2' for 'No' and skip to MN7.
