Delving into the connection between Malaria and Sickle Cell Anemia in India’s rural spaces unravels a complicated interaction.

“I would like to play with my friends!”

The girl had just returned from the hospital to her small hut in the tiny village of Rajpur, Madhya Pradesh. She was eager to jump, but she had to give up and take rest as her physical strength didn’t permit her. Over the last few months, she has been undergoing treatment in a hospital for sickle cell disease, and last month she experienced a high fever, which was diagnosed as malaria.

“When I was seven months pregnant, during a camp organized at our Arogya Ayushman Mandir, I was screened and informed by the attending Didi that I am a carrier of the ‘Sickle Cell Trait,’ and my husband was also tested and found positive,” narrated the mother of the girl Laxmi. “My daughter Sumi was diagnosed soon after birth, during a routine check-up.”