CONGENITAL MALARIA IN A NEONATE

We report on a newborn at Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad who was diagnosed with congenital malaria. This baby was admitted for evaluation of a fever and cough, which began one day prior to admission. The newborn was pale with splenomegaly and normal neonatal reflexes. Medical laboratory tests, including a peripheral blood smear, revealed Plasmodium vivax in red blood cells. His mother had been suffering from a fever for almost a week prior to delivery. She was tested and found positive for P. vivax. Both the newborn and mother were successfully treated with chloroquine. They were discharged from the hospital in good condition with negative blood smears.