Could a blood transfusion save kids with severe malaria?

NCT ID NCT05711485

First seen Nov 01, 2025 · Last updated Jun 23, 2026 · Updated 33 times

Summary

This study tests whether giving a whole blood transfusion can help children under 5 with severe malaria and very low platelet counts survive. The trial is enrolling 132 children in Zambia. Researchers will compare death rates and changes in blood counts between those who receive the transfusion and those who do not.

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This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Contacts and locations

Study contacts

  • Contact

    Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

Locations

  • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

    NOT_YET_RECRUITING

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, United States

    Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

  • Tropical Diseases Research Centre

    RECRUITING

    Ndola, Copperbelt, Zambia

    Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

whole blood transfusion

What this could lead to

If it works, this could provide a simple, low-cost treatment to reduce deaths from severe malaria in children.

What could go wrong

This is a small, early-stage trial (132 children) in one country, so results may not apply elsewhere. Transfusions carry risks like infection or allergic reactions.

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

malaria Plasmodium falciparum malaria thrombocytopenia

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.