Congenital malaria in newborn twins

D A Opare1

  • 1Sunyani Municipal Health Directorate: P. O. Box 311, Sunyani. B/A Region, Ghana. oparedavid@yahoo.co.uk

A 28-year-old woman (G2P1A), with 36 weeks gestation, reported to a health facility in Sunyani on 22(nd) February 2009 with history of labour pains, without fever. She was reported to have taken sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine for malaria prophylaxis during the pregnancy but did not use insecticide-treated net. She delivered twins on the same day. The mother and the twins developed fever on the same day. A laboratory investigation on the three of them was positive for malaria parasites. The three were successfully treated with quinine. Congenital malaria is real and it is therefore recommended that babies born to mothers with malaria should be screened for congenital malaria.

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