Delayed Diagnosis Seen in More Than 1 in 4 Pediatric Patients With Malaria

Summary: When families travel to West Africa to visit friends and relatives, they expect to bring back great memories and maybe a little jet lag. They don't expect a dangerous illness. But when kids come home and feel sick, doctors sometimes miss the clues.

A recent study from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia looked at kids treated for malaria in the United States. It turns out that more than 1 in 4 of these kids had a delayed diagnosis. Because the symptoms of malaria can look like a normal travel bug—like a fever (seen in 90% of cases), a cough, or a tummy ache (seen in 66% of cases)—it's easy to mistake it for something less serious.

However, waiting too long to figure out the problem is dangerous. The study showed that delayed diagnoses are a major risk factor for severe malaria, which affected 32% of the patients. Thankfully, there were no deaths reported in this group. Doctors warn that if a child has a fever or stomach pain after traveling, parents should make sure they get a rapid and precise malaria test right away.

For more details, see infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com at infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/news/delayed-diagnosis-seen-in-more-than-1-in-4-pediatric-patients-with-malaria/ (opens in new tab)