ABSTRACT
In Mali, malaria is the third most important febrile illness (accounting for 12.6% of cases of fever) and is responsible for 3.7% of admissions to the medical wards at Bamako University Hospital. Cerebral malaria accounts for 51.7% of paediatric emergencies and causes 42% of child deaths; it is also the most important cause of mortality (13%) and morbidity (15.6%) in the whole population (Doumbia, 1997). All these data show that malaria remains a major public health problem.
