Open AccessCOVID-19 Associated Imported Plasmodium vivax Malaria Relapse: First Reported Case and Literature Review
Author(s) -
Muhammad Shahid,
Nadia Karim,
Fakhar Shahid,
Zohaib Yousaf
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
research and reports in tropical medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1179-7282
DOI - 10.2147/rrtm.s292157
Subject(s) - plasmodium vivax , malaria , virology , immunology , biology , medicine , plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium vivax ( P. vivax ) is a protozoan parasite that causes vivax malaria. Disease relapse post-treatment is reported in P. vivax co-infection with other bacterial and parasitic infections, but Plasmodium vivax reactivation is not very common with viral infections. Early recognition and diagnosis of a Plasmodium vivax malaria relapse in a non-endemic region pose a diagnostic dilemma. COVID-19 co-infection compounds this dilemma due to overlapping symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for a favorable clinical outcome. We report a middle-aged gentleman with high-grade fever and headaches who had COVID-19 and was found to have a relapse of Plasmodium vivax malaria.