(BMJ, 2024) Cunnington, A.J.; Abbara, A.; Bawa, F.K.; Achan, J.
A 16 year old Ugandan girl is brought to the emergency
department with a three day history of fever, headache,
cough, and myalgia. She has had several episodes of
malaria in the past. On admission, she is febrile,
tachycardic, tachypnoeic, and has oxygen saturations
of 90% in air. A malaria rapid antigen test is positive
for Plasmodium falciparum and a chest radiograph
shows left sided pneumonia. She is admitted and
treated with antimalarials, antibiotics, and oxygen.
She makes a full recovery over five days. At discharge,
the cause of the pneumonia and the contribution of
malaria to the illness remain unresolved.
