title: Malaria in infants aged less than six months - is it an area of unmet medical need?
abstract: Despite the protection provided by several factors, including maternal antibodies, the burden of malaria in young infants may be higher than previously thought. Infants with congenital or neonatal malaria may have a different clinical presentation than older children, and diagnosis may be confused with other neonatal diseases due to an overlap of clinical manifestations. In addition, there is little information on the use of artemisinin-based combination therapy in young infants. There is the need for a more accurate estimate of the parasite prevalence and the incidence of clinical malaria in infants under 6 months old, as well as a better characterization of risk factors, pharmacokinetic profiles, safety and efficacy of currently available anti-malarial treatments, in order to develop evidence-based treatment guidelines for this population.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, PO Box 273, Banjul, The Gambia. udalessandro@mrc.gm
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: D'Alessandro
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ubben
authors.forename: Kamal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hamed
authors.forename: Serign Jawo
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Ceesay
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Okebe
authors.forename: Makie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taal
authors.forename: Eugene Kaman
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Lama
authors.forename: Moussa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keita
authors.forename: Lamine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Koivogui
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nahum
authors.forename: Kalifa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bojang
authors.forename: Aja Adam Jagne
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Sonko
authors.forename: Honorat Francis
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Lalya
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brabin
mesh_terms: D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials