[The particularities of malaria in the child].

Malaria is generally recognized as the main cause of infant mortality and/or morbidity in tropical regions of Africa. However the exact impact of the disease is still difficult to evaluate due to the lack of adequate facilities for data collection and screening. Another major unsolved problem involves diagnosis of malaria attacks in infants. Due to repeated exposure to the parasite and progressive development of immunity to malaria, a child's susceptibility changes with age. In addition the clinical, parasitological and immunological form of the disease varies from one child to another depending on his or her risk and protection factors as well as genetic, physiological and environmental factors. Because of these special features, diagnosis of malaria is complicated not only in the neonatal period but also throughout infancy. A better understanding of these features, which determine the expression of the disease in infants, will be required to optimize management of malarial attacks and improve preventive measures implemented in Africa to lower malaria-related morbidity and mortality.