Peace Corps Agrees to $750,000 Settlement in Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Volunteer's Malaria Misdiagnosis

Suit allegations highlight negligence in handling volunteer's malaria symptoms and mistreatment of family after her death, despite previously facing criticism for inadequate medical care.

The Peace Corps settled a wrongful death lawsuit pays a $750,000 settlement to the family of Bernice Heiderman. The 24-year-old volunteer from Illinois died of undiagnosed malaria while serving in East Africa in 2018.
Heiderman, stationed in Comoros, had complained of incessant fever, headaches, severe dizziness, and repeated vomiting. Despite displaying these symptoms of malaria, the Peace Corps' designated doctor prescribed only water, antacids, antihistamines and aspirin.
An autopsy revealed Heiderman died of malaria. The Peace Corps Office of Inspector General later concluded a misdiagnosis had occurred, stating that Heiderman could have made a full recovery with timely treatment.
The lawsuit, raised by Heiderman's parents in 2020, alleged negligence in medical care and berated the Peace Corps for its poor management of Heiderman's remains, improperly repatriated four days after her funeral.
Scrutiny over inadequate medical care by the Peace Corps for volunteers dates back to the deaths of two successors in Morocco and China in 2009 and 2013, respectively. Consequently, a law was enacted in 2018 to improve the Peace Corps' healthcare provision and handling of sexual assault.