Frequent malaria infections could cause cancer in children

Research has revealed an association between cumulative malaria

infections and endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL) in the sub-Saharan African

countries of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. It also notes that children

who develop the cancer are likely to have suffered from silent malaria

for many years.

The study, which was conducted between 2010 and 2016 in children

under 15, using a case-control design (where children with disease are

compared to children without), found a strong positive relationship

between the cumulative number of P. falciparum infections acquired and the risk of developing BL.