Optimizing iron supplementation for children with severe malaria.

The safe and efficacious provision of iron supplementation in areas of high infectious disease burden is a critical and sometimes controversial global health issue. Iron deficiency anemia remains the leading cause of years lived with disability in much of sub-Saharan Africa (1), so improvements in anemia control programs are needed, including ensuring that iron supplementation is safely and optimally administered in settings of high infection burden (2). Iron deficiency anemia and malaria coexist in large swaths of the world, and the goal of iron supplementation is to prevent morbidity from iron deficiency and anemia while minimizing any potential harm. The mechanisms by which iron supplementation may increase the risk of malaria are not definitive, but include promoting parasitic growth, impairing...