Thanks. it will take two weeks for final results on the malaria but i'm quite sure the preliminary tests ...all 3 of them... are accurate and that isn't the problem.

The doctors don't know why his WBC count went so high 25.6 day 1, 24.9 day two but then dropped back to 10.9 day 3 (thankfully). The only outward sign of infection by the third day in hospital was a mild double ear infection.

I didn't tell the story did I? day 3 they called me to repeat bloodwork due to high WBC and a positive blood culture (later determined to be a contaminant). After 9 hrs in the ER and two sets of bloodwork, they decided to admit him. They put in an IV line, did another blood draw, urine and chest xrays, only to decide two hours later to send him home on antibiotics instead. the ped. consulted with two infectious disease doctors and the lab at the children's hospital and they all felt he had improved enough to go home, assuming he'd have gotten worse if the blood culture was genuinely a problem.

So much fuss just to leave him with an ear infection.

He now has a cough and is sneezing so I doubt that ear will heal fully. He's still tired too but is otherwise good.

me on the other hand, I have some viral infection similar to scarlet fever if indeed it isn't that. Such a nasty rash and headache...

ERs are so great for sharing the wealth of germs around eh?

lucinda