QUESTION

My Father aged 65 years was diagnosed with malaria 15 days back and was on medication. Fever was recurring frequently and he had developed a lung infection. Three days back fever stopped and did not occur for 2 days and malarial infection was reducing. Now the Fever has started coming but other parameters are normal. Can you please suggest what needs to be done?

ANSWER

If your father also developed a lung infection, was he treated with antibiotics? If not, his later fever could be caused by that infection, and could be unrelated to the malaria.

He should have another blood test, to look for the malaria parasites; if they are still present, then you should talk to his doctor about trying another type of anti-malarial medication—the World Health Organization recommends artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), such as Coartem, Alu and Duo-Cotecxin, as the first-line treatment against uncomplicated malaria.

However, given that your father appears to have concurrent other medical conditions, it may be that other treatment is more appropriate, and as such it is very important that you check with your doctor before taking additional medication.