severe malaria in children

severe malaria in children Transplacental transmission of IgG-antibodies, produced by the mother who has been infected with malaria, protects the baby from those plasmodia. Moreover,
the high percentage of fetal hemoglobin (HbF), which
is present directly after birth, has a protective effect.
HbF, like other structurally varied hemoglobin (as in
case of sickle cell anemia), has a certain resistance
against infections with plasmodia. As HbF is replaced
by the adult form of hemoglobin, the protective effect
declines within the first year of life. Due to the still
immature immune system, the most serious courses of
malaria are observed between the 1st and 4th–5th years
of life. Every year, about a million children, primarily
in this age-group, die of malaria, in most cases because
of cerebral complications or multiorgan failure. Often,
these children live in outlying villages where medical
care is lacking.