NAIROBI, KENYA—The World Health Organization estimates 3.4 billion people are at risk of malaria, with children under the age of five and pregnant women being the most vulnerable. As World Malaria Day approaches (April 25), mortality rates are falling and a new test - well into the last stage of trials - is having positive results in Kenya. … [Read more...]
A Malaria Diagnostics Kit for Just 30 Cents (US)
Biotechnologist Ashley Uys has developed through his company, Medical Diagnostech, a "rapid test" kit which can diagnose malaria as well as which strain you are suffering from. He explains it can also identify if your suggested course of treatment is working effectively. Using blood samples, the test can offer results in less than 30 minutes. "I decided to look at what is the most needing … [Read more...]
Too Much of a Good Thing: Why Over-Diagnosis of Malaria Can Be a Big Problem
When the challenges of malaria control are discussed, most people probably think first about the difficulties of preventing mosquito bites, or perhaps how to get treatment to the millions of people that live far from hospitals and clinics. These are clearly enormous obstacles to preventing and treating malaria, but similarly important is the need for accurate diagnosis. Perhaps surprisingly, while … [Read more...]
Notes from the Field: The Importance of Health Extension Workers in Diagnosing and Treating Malaria in Ethiopia
Since 2010, nearly 30,000 health extension workers (HEWs) in Ethiopia have been trained and supported to provide integrated community based case management (iCCM) of malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea and severe malnutrition. Although HEWs started treating malaria before 2010, diagnostic based treatment of malaria using multiple species RDT was scaled up as part of the iCCM programme. … [Read more...]
New Diagnostic Test for Malaria
A new diagnostic test could revolutionize the treatment of malaria, one of the world’s most persistent and deadly diseases, making it possible to diagnose the illness from a single drop of blood or saliva. The test, developed by researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark, detects very low levels of an enzyme produced by the Plasmodium parasite, the organism that causes malaria. This could … [Read more...]
Malaria: When is Lab Testing Not Recommended
QUESTION When is parasitological confirmation not recommended? ANSWER It is always best to get a laboratory or rapid diagnostic test for malaria (parasitological confirmation) to make sure the person actually has malaria before giving treatment, and to make sure the treatment is appropriate. There are four main types of malaria which infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. … [Read more...]
Comparison of Molecular Tests for the Diagnosis of Malaria in Honduras
Honduras is a tropical country with more than 70% of its population living at risk of being infected with either Plasmodium vivax or Plasmodium falciparum. Laboratory diagnosis is a very important factor for adequate treatment and management of malaria. In Honduras, malaria is diagnosed by both, microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests and to date, no molecular methods have been implemented for … [Read more...]
What is the malaria antigen test?
QUESTION: How does the malaria antigen test work? After how many days presence of malaria can antigens be detected in the blood ? Is it posible to detect antigens on the first day of fever ? ANSWER: The malaria antigen test works by detecting antigens in the blood which are released by the parasite. The antigens are usually LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) or HRP2 (Histidine-rich protein 2). … [Read more...]
Mobile App for Diagnosing Malaria
Focusing on the millions of people at risk from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the world, Lifelens is a project that has created a smartphone app to diagnose the insidious, mosquito-borne disease. The most prevalent diagnostic tool is the rapid diagnostic test RDT, which is known to be associated with a 60 percent incidence rate of false positive results. That, in turn, results … [Read more...]
Malaria Self-Diagnosis
QUESTION: I live in Nigeria and was wondering if there are ways to find out if I malaria without going to the doctor or a hospital? ANSWER: The current "gold-standard" for malaria diagnosis, at least of active infections, is through microscropy, where a trained technician looks at a droplet of your blood on a slide, and sees if any of your red blood cells are infected with the malaria … [Read more...]