Charles O., 1

Charles is the youngest child in his family and lives with his parents and older sister in a small one-room semi-permanent house. His mother is unemployed, and the family relies solely on his father’s income from casual construction work. When in good health, Charles is a cheerful, playful, and lively child. His mother recalls that one evening she noticed Charles had eaten very little and felt unusually warm. The following day, he refused to take tea and his body temperature became extremely high. Concerned, she informed his father that the child might be seriously ill. Shortly afterward, Charles began convulsing. In panic, his father rushed outside and stopped a passing motorcycle to take them to the hospital. It was only upon arrival that he realized he had no money to pay the rider. As he tried to explain the situation, Charles began convulsing again. Seeing the seriousness of the child’s condition, the motorcycle rider drove away without demanding payment, leaving the distressed family to seek urgent medical help.

Charles was brought to the hospital with complaints of hotness of the body, and convulsions. He was diagnosed with severe malaria which warranted prompt admission. He stayed in the ward fora couple of days where he was administered IV Artesunate, IV xpen, gentamicin among other drugs to which he responded well. He was eventually discharged on orals and a call to his father revealed that he was fully recovered and had gone back to his normal life

The prognosis for a 1-year-old with severe malaria and convulsions is serious but not necessarily fatal. While the condition is a medical emergency with a significant risk of death, the vast majority of children who receive immediate and appropriate hospital treatment survive.