Research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine released earlier this year identified anaemia as a contributor to severe postpartum haemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death globally. According to the research, anaemia may be responsible for half of severe haemorrhage cases in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. While governments have traditionally used iron and folic acid tablets to address this, health experts are now advocating for Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS), which contain 13 additional vitamins and minerals.
Health advocates note that while iron-deficiency is a major focus of existing programs, there are actually six types of nutritional anaemia. Dr. Martin Mwangi of the Micronutrient Forum stated that focusing only on iron has left anaemia rates largely unchanged. Studies cited by the World Health Organization indicate that MMS reduces maternal anaemia at term by 12 percent compared to iron and folic acid alone. Further research published in Brain Communications during the week of September 15, 2026, also suggested a correlation between pregnancy-related anaemia and reduced brain volume and movement issues in infants.
In May 2026, ministers from Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Pakistan committed to integrating MMS into their national antenatal healthcare systems. More than 30 other countries are currently trialling or investigating the supplement. Feimata Russell of Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health reported that in her country, where more than half of pregnant women are anaemic, the switch was driven by data showing that infant mortality was reduced nearly 30 percent in the first six months for anaemic mothers. The humanitarian organization Helen Keller International has assisted with the rollout, noting that officials from Kenya and Cambodia have visited Sierra Leone to study the program’s integration.
The scale of the potential impact is significant for public health systems. Modeling across 25 countries published in the British Medical Journal in May estimated that replacing standard iron and folic acid with MMS could prevent 186,000 stillbirths and 3.5 million low-birthweight births over a five-year period. For individual families, these supplements are linked to a reduction in childhood stunting and improved cognitive development. In Sierra Leone, health workers have reported that the visible health of infants born to mothers on MMS has increased community interest in the program.
The adoption of MMS sets a precedent for how international aid and national health policies address maternal mortality following a period where progress had slowed due to aid cuts. While the supplements are not a singular solution, their integration into national policies marks a transition in how countries with poor dietary diversity manage maternal health. What happens next involves the continued rollout in the committed nations and the evaluation of trials in 30 additional countries. The effectiveness will depend on the supplement being paired with broader antenatal care, including malaria prevention and deworming.