Emmy Odhiambo O., 1

Emmy is her mother’s only child. She lives in a two-roomed house with her mother, cousin, and maternal grandmother. Her mother has a physical disability, so the responsibility of providing for the family falls entirely on the grandmother, who works as a peasant farmer. One day, as part of their usual routine, the grandmother laid Emmy down to sleep. A short while later, Emmy’s mother went to check on her. She noticed Emmy was sweating, which was unusual given the cold weather. Concerned, she touched Emmy’s forehead and found it was hot. Upon waking her, Emmy began vomiting, looked exhausted, and her eyes appeared very pale. Alarmed, her mother immediately called the grandmother, and they decided not to waste any time. They rushed Emmy to Boro Dispensary, where she was stabilized before being referred to Siaya County Referral Hospital for further care.

Emmy was brought to the hospital with complaints of fever, vomiting. She was taken to a nearby facility where she was stabilised and referred to Siaya county Referral Hospital. Lab tests done revealed that she was suffering from severe sepsis and malaria. This warranted admission to the ward where she stayed for over four days. She was treated with IV Artesunate, IV Xpen and other drugs as per the T sheet. She responded well to treatment and eventually was discharged on orals. A call to the mother revealed that Emmy was her normal self once again, was breastfeeding well and was sleeping okay.

In patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), severe malaria can significantly worsen their condition and lead to a higher risk of mortality, although SCD can also offer some protection against malaria infection. While SCD patients may have a lower overall incidence of malaria compared to those without the disease, those who develop severe malaria are at a greater risk of complications and death.