QUESTION

Is it possible to contract malaria early in life and have a seizure 20 years later?

ANSWER

I think it is highly unlikely. There are only two types of malaria that can reoccur long after the initial infection (Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale) and neither of these usually results in seizure or other cerebral effects. Looking through the literature, I can only find one case of P. vivax infection which had cerebral involvement (Beg et al., 2002, ‘Cerebral involvement in benign tertian malaria’, published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, volume 67, issue 3, pages 230-232).