Eugene D., 2

Eugene is the eldest child in his family and has a one-year-old younger brother. They live together with their grandparents and uncle in a two-room mud house. His grandfather is blind, leaving his grandmother, a peasant farmer, as the family’s sole breadwinner. According to his mother, she noticed that Eugene’s body was very hot and gave him paracetamol, hoping it would bring relief. Later that day at around 1:00 pm, he developed convulsions. She rushed him to a nearby dispensary, where he was stabilized and subsequently referred to Siaya County Referral Hospital for further management.

Eugene was brought to the hospital in a semi conscious state.He was lethargic and his body hot. Lab tests revealed he was suffering from severe malaria, septicemia and convulsions. He was admitted and treated on IV cetriaxone, IV paracetamol, IV artesunate, amoxylin syrup among other drugs. He responded well to the medication and he was discharged on orals with a follow up review to be done after two weeks. A call to the mother revealed that Eugene was fully recuperated and had gone back to his normal life and was able to play.

Eugene was diagnosed with septicemia, severe malaria complicated by febrile seizures. His prognosis is good, as he was stabilized quickly and referred to a higher-level facility for specialized care. With prompt antibiotics, antimalarial treatment and seizure management, he is expected to recover fully.