Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com

FAMILY THREATENS TO SUE OVER MALARIA DEATH
After Africa trip, victim voiced disease fears at clinic, kin say, but was told she had the flu

By Karen Auge
Denver Post Staff Writer


Thursday, January 23, 2003 - When Carolyn Harper got home from a trip to Ghana last June, she wasn't feeling so good.

According to legal documents, Harper went to a Montbello clinic run by Denver Health Medical Center, told them she was sick, told them she'd just returned from Africa and even told them she was afraid she might have malaria.

But according to documents filed on behalf of Harper's family, the doctors who treated her told her she had the flu, gave her Motrin and sent her home.

Less than three weeks later, Harper, 52, was dead.

Three days after Harper was buried, an employee of the Montbello clinic called her home to report that tests had come back positive for malaria.

Last month, Harper's family notified the Denver Health and Hospital Authority that they plan to sue over her death.

The hospital authority is investigating the case, according to a spokeswoman.

Harper's family could not be reached for comment.

Though malaria kills thousands worldwide each year - primarily in underdeveloped countries in Africa, Asia and South America - deaths from the disease in this country are rare.

Nearly all cases of malaria in this country - 1,092 last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - occurred in people who traveled to other countries and brought the disease home with them.

There were 25 cases of malaria in Colorado last year, according to the state health department. One person died of the disease, at least 16 survived, and the fate of the remaining eight isn't known, health department figures show.

There are different varieties of the disease, but most are treatable, said Dr. Ted Eickhoff, director of infectious disease at the University of Colorado Hospital.

"Most of the time, drugs are quite effective," he said.

Malaria symptoms can mimic those of many other diseases - fever, a headache that gets progressively worse, nausea and vomiting, Eickhoff said.

But the disease tends to follow a typical pattern, he said. That progression, along with the patient's travel history, "is not a giveaway, but should lead in the right direction."

There is no vaccine to prevent a person from contracting malaria.

The CDC, along with doctors nationwide, recommends that anyone traveling to countries where malaria is a problem take prescription medication, or a combination of medications, that can be effective in warding off the disease.

Adam Jackson, director of Kaiser Permanente's travel clinic, said the choice of malaria-fighting drugs depends on where a person is going, because some of the drugs are more effective against certain types of bacteria. Jackson said he tells travelers to give him as much detail as possible about where they're going and how long they'll be gone when deciding which drug to prescribe.

According to the legal document filed on behalf of Harper's family, she told doctors at the Montbello clinic that she had not taken any anti-malaria drugs before her trip.

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