The AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa has had a significant impact on levels of pregnancy-related mortality. Nationally representative surveys in Malawi and Zimbabwe indicated that pregnancy-related mortality risks have increased 1.9 and 2.5 times, respectively, during the past decade, concomitant with a nearly 10-fold increase in the prevalence of HIV among pregnant women. The increase is more pronounced in urban populations. These observations have important implications for intervention strategies and monitoring in the context of safe motherhood programmes.
