Severe childhood malaria linked to cognitive impairment later in life

Severe childhood malaria is linked to long-term cognitive impairment, according to a new study from Indiana University School of Medicine researchers and their collaborators at Makerere University in Uganda. The findings, recently published in JAMA, suggest children who survive cases of cerebral malaria and severe malarial anemia experience cognitive and academic impairment that persists into adolescence. The correlation highlights an urgent need for the development of better prevention strategies and more effective therapies to minimize the lasting effects of one of the world's most dangerous diseases.