Prevalence and impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on maternal and infant health in African populations: protocol of a multicentre prospective cohort study (MA-CoV project).

Abstract

Pregnant women are currently considered a vulnerable population to SARS-CoV-2 infection, with increased risk of severe COVID-19, preterm birth and maternal mortality. There is, however, a paucity of data on the burden of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in sub-Saharan countries. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence and health effects of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in selected sites from Gabon and Mozambique. MA-CoV (MAternal CoVid) is an observational, multicentre prospective cohort study where 1000 pregnant women (500 per country) will be enrolled at the antenatal clinic visits. Participants will undergo monthly follow-up at each antenatal care visit, delivery and postpartum visit. The primary study outcome is the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy. The clinical presentation of COVID-19 in pregnancy will also be characterised, and incidence of infection during pregnancy will be evaluated, as well as the risk factors of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and the risk of mother to child transmission of SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 infection screening will be performed through PCR diagnosis. The protocol was reviewed and approved by the <i>Comité National d'Éthique pour la Recherche au Gabon</i>, <i>Comité Nacional de Bioética para Saúde de Moçambique</i> and the Ethics Committee of the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (Spain). Project results will be presented to all stakeholders and published in open access journals. NCT05303168.