The management of a pregnant patient with malaria in West Texas

Travel associated infectious disease, such as malaria, should be considered in returning travelers from an endemic area presenting with fever. Malaria in pregnancy has a high maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality burden. Early diagnosis is essential to improve maternal and fetal outcomes by providing maternal supportive measures and anti-malarial medication. We present a patient with severe acute febrile illness with mental status changes at 32 weeks gestation. She became acutely symptomatic including high grade fever while visiting West Texas from Nigeria. Despite initial diagnostic uncertainty, a multidisciplinary team successfully diagnosed and treated her severe malaria. She delivered at term with no long lasting maternal or fetal sequelae from her malarial infection. In an age of globalization, travel associated infectious diseases should be considered in the differential of acute febrile illness in pregnant women.