Abstract:
As September marks the start of the malaria season in South Africa (SA), it is essential that healthcare professionals consider both COVID19 and malaria when a patient who lives in or has recently travelled to a malaria area presents with acute febrile illness. Early diagnosis of
malaria by either a rapid diagnostic test or microscopy enables prompt treatment with the effective antimalarial, artemether-lumefantrine,
preventing progression to severe disease and death. Intravenous artesunate is the preferred treatment for severe malaria in both children and
adults. Adding single low-dose primaquine to standard treatment is recommended in endemic areas to block onward transmission. Use of
the highly effective artemisinin-based therapies should be limited to the treatment of confirmed malaria infections, as there is no clinical
evidence that these antimalarials can prevent or treat COVID-19. Routine malaria case management services must be sustained, in spite of
COVID-19, to treat malaria effectively and support SA’s malaria elimination efforts.
