Surprising clinical case published in EID this week: on the Mozambique-Malawi border, a young boy comes into the hospital with persistent fever, skin lesions, swelling of the hands and feet, and malnutrition. He is referred to a large hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, where the physicians and microbiology lab are able to diagnose an unusual bacterial infection, melioidosis. It was the first time this infection had ever been diagnosed in Malawi, and he was treated and cured.
One reason this case is important is because it demonstrates that improved health systems can mean life or death for many children around the world.
