Asia-UK Maternal-neonatal Infection and IMmunity Network (AMMUNet)

Infections during pregnancy, childbirth, and the early neonatal period are a major cause of maternal and newborn illness and death, especially in low-resource settings like Nepal. This is highlighted by the total number of 113 maternal deaths, 115 congenital birth defects, and 2,186 perinatal deaths per 100,000 live births, reported in a recent national annual health report. Immunization of pregnant women has the potential to prevent many of these complications, yet there remains a significant data and research gap on the topic. To address this gap, we are running a pilot study at Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital (PMWH) in Kathmandu – the oldest and largest public referral maternity hospital in Nepal, aiming to determine the prevalence of maternal-newborn colonization of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) which is one of the major killers in any healthcare settings. Building on this, we propose to establish the "Asia-UK Maternal-Newborn Infection and Immunity Network (AMMUNet)". The network plans to host a three-day residential induction workshop in Kathmandu in early May/June 2025. It will bring together experts from the UK, USA, India and Nepal to strengthen North-South academic partnerships and foster knowledge exchange, with plans to expand ongoing GBS pilot study to additional sites in Nepal and India. The network also aims to fill in the key data gaps in the region to prepare for research and roll out of new maternal vaccines. Together, the network will seek larger grants to support this crucial work, ultimately aiming to improve healthcare for mothers and their newborns.