WHO sets a 2035 roadmap against pre-eclampsia deaths
Deaths from high blood pressure in pregnancy fell more slowly than other maternal causes, and WHO proposes five work areas; its public summary has no numeric targets.
The World Health Organization (WHO) presented a global roadmap on Oct. 7, 2026 for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. It covers 2026 to 2035, runs 74 pages and came out of the organization's Human Reproduction Programme.
According to WHO's fact sheet, dated Oct. 6, 16% of maternal deaths worldwide are due to these disorders, about 42 000 in 2023. The organization acknowledges that such deaths fell more slowly over three decades than other causes of maternal mortality.
The plan divides the work into five areas: research and innovation, norms and standards, access to health products, implementation, and advocacy with accountability. It stresses stronger health systems and equitable access, with priority for low- and middle-income countries. The public summary does not detail the actions or set numeric targets, and this outlet did not review the full document.
For WHO, pre-eclampsia is a high blood pressure condition that usually appears after week 20 of gestation. The CDC estimates that hypertension affects 5% to 10% of pregnancies in the United States, according to a page from December 2024. These are not Mexican figures.
What the evidence says on prevention
WHO recommends, in prenatal care, calcium where the diet provides little, low-dose aspirin for women at high risk and magnesium sulfate against eclampsia. Health staff prescribe them. A Cochrane systematic review from October 2019 pooled 77 trials with 40 249 women and linked low-dose aspirin, among other antiplatelet drugs, to a risk about 18% lower of pre-eclampsia with protein in the urine.
MedlinePlus, from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, warns that this high blood pressure often causes no symptoms and is found at prenatal checkups.
Still pending are the content of the actions in each area, which is in the full document, and a recent figure from Mexico's Health Ministry on this cause of maternal death, which could not be confirmed.
The plan is a policy framework for health systems, designed above all for countries with fewer resources. The clinical recommendations cited apply to pregnant people, not the general population, and the decision on aspirin or calcium belongs to their health care staff. This does not replace a consultation.
