Severe malaria with invasive bacterial infections in children in a paediatric service in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Background: Isolated or associated with other conditions, malaria is responsible for the death of a child every minute, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. The main objective was to determine the epidemiological, clinical, and biological aspects and outcomes of severe malaria associated with invasive bacterial infections in children. Methods: A prospective analytical study was conducted at Charles de Gaulle Paediatric University Teaching Hospital between 1 July and 31 August 2014 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Children with severe malaria and invasive bacterial infections were included. Results: There were 140 children with severe malaria of whom 13.6% exhibited signs of invasive bacterial infection. Co-infection was significantly higher in children under 24 months (p = 0.02) who came from rural areas (p