QUESTION

What are the after effects of malaria?

ANSWER

In almost all cases, if malaria is diagnosed accurately and treated promptly, patients make a full recovery with no after effects. In some cases of severe malaria, the disease can develop into cerebral malaria, which can result in impaired mental function, loss of consciousness and coma (and, if untreated, even death). Again, if treated promptly, these effects should reverse, but in some cases, some neurological damage remains.

Similarly, children who are affected by malaria while still in the womb or during birth (“congenital” malaria) may experience low birth weight or retarded growth, which can have health implications later in life.