Malaria in pregnancy and its adverse consequences can be prevented with suppressive antimalarial treatment or chemoprophylaxis. Weekly chloroquine (CQ) had been the basis for prevention for many years, but its application became limited over time, partly because of difficulties in coverage and compliance throughout pregnancy and partly because of increased parasite resistance to CQ in endemic areas. A new strategy for prevention based on insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) and use of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) was thus formulated, with IPTp being based on the administration of treatment doses of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (1500/75 mg; SP) to all pregnant women at pre-defined intervals and regardless of malaria infection. WHO elaborated new recommendations, based on the administration of SP two or three times at scheduled antenatal visits at least one month apart from the second trimester onwards. Evidence of the efficacy of IPTp with SP for preventing malaria infection and improving birth weight was reported from East Africa and West Africa.