Malaria in the Time of COVID-19: Do Not Miss the Real Cause of Illness

Johannes Jochum; Benno Kreuels; Egbert Tannich; Samuel Huber; Julian Schulze Zur Wiesch; Stefan Schmiedel; Michael Ramharter; Marylyn M Addo

doi:10.3390/tropicalmed6020040

Malaria in the Time of COVID-19: Do Not Miss the Real Cause of Illness

Trop Med Infect Dis. 2021 Mar 26;6(2):40. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed6020040.

Authors

Johannes Jochum¹, Benno Kreuels¹, Egbert Tannich², Samuel Huber³, Julian Schulze Zur Wiesch³, Stefan Schmiedel³, Michael Ramharter¹, Marylyn M Addo³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.
² National Reference Centre for Tropical Pathogens, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.
³ I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.

Abstract

We report a case of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in a patient asymptomatically co-infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the current ongoing coronavirus pandemic, co-infections with unrelated life-threatening febrile conditions may pose a particular challenge to clinicians. The current situation increases the risk for cognitive biases in medical management.

Keywords: cognitive bias; diagnostic reasoning; differential diagnosis; plasmodium falciparum; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.