Long-term WIFS and malaria risks in early pregnancy : a randomised controlled trial

Overall objective To assess the safety and efficacy of weekly iron and folic acid supplementation (WIFS) in young women of child-bearing age living in a highly malarious area in Africa. Primary objective To assess the impact of long-term weekly iron supplementation in young women of child-bearing age on P.falciparum malaria infection during early pregnancy. Secondary objectives 1. To assess the impact of weekly iron supplementation on: ? incidence of clinical malaria prior to and in early pregnancy. ? iron deficiency and anaemia prevalence prior to and during early pregnancy. ? on pregnancy outcomes (miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm delivery, birth weight). 2. To explore the acceptability of long-term WIFS in young women. Number of subjects The required number of pregnant women in each group will be 390. Allowing for loss to follow-up, we expect this number of pregnancies to occur in a total study population of 1800 non-pregnant, nulliparous women aged 15-24 years over a period of 18 months.