Acute vs. Delayed Iron: Effect on Red Cell Iron Incorporation in Severe Malaria

The purpose of this study is to determine whether iron therapy given to iron-deficient Ugandan children with moderate-to-severe anemia and clinical malaria is better absorbed and incorporated into red blood cells if it is given concurrently with antimalarial treatment on Day 0 (immediate group) or 4 weeks after antimalarial treatment on Day 28 (delayed group). Use of iron stable isotopes 57Fe and 58Fe will permit measurement of red blood cell iron incorporation on Day 0 and Day 28 in all children. The investigators hypothesize that red cell iron incorporation at the time of initial supplement administration will be greater in children receiving delayed vs. immediate iron (Aim 1), and children in the delayed group will also have greater hematological recovery on Day 56 than children in the immediate group (Aim 2).