Congenital Malaria Due to Plasmodium Vivax Infection: A Case Study
Faiqa Zarreen, Aimun Gillani, Saira Khalid
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SUMMARY
Malaria is an endemic disease in Pakistan but
congenital malaria is a rare entity. Congenital Malaria is acquired from mother
either during pregnancy or perinatally at the time of birth. In endemic areas
it can present in the newborn without obvious history of fever and parasitemia
in mother. We report 2 months old infant who presented to us with c/o fever for
40 days and was misdiagnosed initially as a case of neonatal sepsis. This case
signifies the importance that congenital malaria should be included in the
differential diagnosis of neonatal sepsis even if the mother has no proven
malarial episodes during the gestational period. Early diagnosis and treatment
of congenital malaria can prevent infant morbidity and mortality
Keywords: Congenital malaria, plasmodium vivax
infection, time of birth