Severe Plasmodium vivax malaria among sudanese children at New Halfa Hospital, Eastern Sudan

Abstract

Abstract Background There are few published reports on severe Plasmodium vivax malaria in Africa. Methods Clinical pattern/manifestations of severe P. vivax were described in children admitted at New Halfa Hospital in Sudan between September 2009-December 2011. Results Eighteen children were admitted at the hospital during the study period with different manifestations of severe P. vivax malaria namely: severe anaemia (6, 33.3%), jaundice (5, 27.8%), thrombocytopenia (4, 22.2%), hypotension (3, 16.7%), cerebral malaria (2, 11.1%), epistaxis (2, 11.1%), renal impairment (1, 5.5%), hypogylcaemia and more than one manifestation (5, 27.8%). By day 2, all patients were asymptomatic, a parasitaemic and had started oral quinine and primaquine. There was no death among these patients Conclusion Severe P. vivax malaria is an existing entity in eastern Sudan. Further studies are required to understand emergence of severe P. vivax malaria.