The World Health Organization and UNICEF estimate that each year, over 30 million women become pregnant in malarious areas of Africa and although the vast majority of women with malaria infections during pregnancy remain asymptomatic, infection increases the risk of maternal anemia and delivering a low-birth-weight (LBW) baby. LBW (<2,500 g) is an important risk factor for infant mortality, and this review focuses on the impact of malaria during pregnancy on LBW and subsequent infant mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.
A new application developed by a family physician seeks to end these adverse outcomes in pregnancy by giving mothers the opportunity to keep an objective record of the number of times they have taken anti-malarials during the pregnancy. The app, dubbed Makamba, uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to give mothers reminders as phone notifications or texts to help ensure no missed anti-malarial doses and other routine medications and antenatal care appointments.
“Mothers sometimes lose track or are completely unaware of when their antenatal care appointments are due or meant to be,” Evaare Tom, Makamba CEO and founder says. “Makamba helps mothers remember, if they are due for an appointment in 1 week, 2 weeks or 4 weeks, it would work with the information you filled in, to tell you. The well-being of the fetus is one that is of great concern to any mother. Particularly, close to their expected date of delivery. Doctors advise mothers to keep a record of the baby’s kicks, most are done on paper. Makamba helps mothers keep and maintain these records digitally.”
Makamba gives mothers the ability to have a daily summary of baby kicks at their fingertips plus the platform has short educational videos for mothers’ education and clarifications on events in pregnancy.
Makamba platform enables expectant mothers and intending mothers at heart to help them stay informed, empowered, and connected throughout their prenatal period. The Makamba Pregnancy Companion App aims to be the perfect companion for expectant mothers on their incredible journey to motherhood by sending them personalized weekly updates on their baby’s development, along with expert articles and tips tailored to one’s stage of pregnancy.
The app allows mothers to track important milestones, such as prenatal appointments and baby movements to ensure a seamless pregnancy experience tailored to fit cultural and geographical obstetric needs especially among mothers in Africa affected by income inequalities and expensive healthcare due to marginalization.
The app allows a user to track their pregnancy via a user-friendly interface that helps them monitor their gestational age and expected delivery date. It allows live chat with doctors and moms in real-time to get advice, share experiences, and build a supportive community. It also provides pregnancy stage insights into each stage of their pregnancy from early weeks to the final countdown. It also has educational resources to allow mothers to learn all about their pregnancy journey via comprehensive library of articles and resources to empower themselves.
Speaking to TechMoran, Evaare said, “Makamba is a pregnancy digital companion fit for cultural need, that works with AI to make the pregnancy experience easier for African mothers. Most mothers have no idea of their expected date of delivery and the age of the pregnancy, they get the chance to keep track of this.”
”Makamba will also keep a record of their significant events in their antenatal care appointments. Giving mothers a chance to recall events without relying solely on memory. We give mothers a chance to save this information in an easily accessible device. They can easily share with their obstetrician, should they move out of their local area, ensuring continuity of care.”
Users also get personalized alerts such as timely reminders for prenatal check-ups, important milestones, and health tips tailored to their specific stage of pregnancy and there is a section for community support where mothers join forums and discussion groups to connect with other expectant mothers to share advice, exchange stories, and be part of a caring community.
Makamba also allows mothers to celebrate their journeys by capturing and sharing precious moments with the milestone tracker to document baby bumps, first kicks, and other memorable events.
