Summary Description of 24 Cases of Neonatal Malaria Seen at a Tertiary Health Center in Nigeria

Objective: Neonatal malaria is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Diagnosis of neonatal malaria is difficult because of the similarity in clinical presentation with other neonatal infections. This study aim to highlight the clinical presentations and high mortality still associated with neonatal malaria.
Methods: Twenty four out of 41 neonates seen during a 6 months period were studied. Gestational age, age at presentation, birth weight and other clinical symptoms were documented. Questionnaires were used to collect pertinent pregnancy and perinatal history from the mothers. Data was analyzed using SPSS v18 and results expressed in tables using means, frequencies and percentages.
Findings: All 24 neonates, 50% of whom were males, had a positive smear for malaria parasite. 29.2% were preterm, 17(70.8%) had congenital malaria, 18(75.0%) mothers used intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) of malaria prophylaxis in the index pregnancy and 1(4.2%) mother had HIV in pregnancy. Fever was the principal presenting symptom and 83.0% responded to treatment with amodiaquine.
Conclusion: Neonatal malaria is still an important cause of mortality, a more effective malaria prophylaxis program and routine malaria parasite screening for neonates is recommended.