Due attention paid to treatment of COVID-19 patients with malaria

Vietnamese citizens returning from Africa are being quarantined at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Photo: nhandan.com.vn

Dr. Tran Van Giang from the hospital said 15 patients were found to have also contracted malaria.

Six are infected by both malaria and COVID-19, with the remainder testing negative for the coronavirus but remaining under quarantine.

The number of patients with malaria is projected to rise, he added.

The hospital was ready to cope with malaria, given that every year many Vietnamese workers returning from Africa are found to be infected with the disease.

Prompt treatment before patients exhibit the symptoms of malaria could contribute to the successful treatment of COVID-19.

Patients carrying both the malaria parasite and the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, are likely to suffer more severe damage to inner organs than those who only have COVID-19.

Treatment will be more difficult for them, as medication must be considered thoroughly to avoid any unwanted interaction, and they must undergo more tests.

Source: VNA