Do Mosquitoes Prefer Pregnant Women?

Do mosquitoes prefer pregnant women? Are pregnant women at special risk for malaria?

Yes to both questions. Pregnant women are more likely to attract mosquitoes than other people and so are at increased risk for contracting mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria (in areas where the disease is endemic).

Malaria causes stillbirths, low birth weight and death in infants and is a major cause of illness and an indirect cause of death in pregnant women.

Pregnant women should reduce their exposure to mosquitoes and malaria. They should use bednets that have been treated with insecticide and monitor the net for mosquitoes.