ASSESSING THE ACCURACY OF MALARIA DIAGNOSTIC METHODS ON EFFICIENT COMMUNITY MEDICINE PRACTICE IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SETTINGS IN BORNO STATE.

¹Zara William Wudiri, ²Fatima Lawan Bukar,  ³Abba M. Dige,  ⁴A.A.G. Benisheikh,

ABSTRACT

Malaria remains a major public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Nigeria. The disease is strongly associated with anemia, especially in vulnerable populations such as children and individuals with anemia. Rapid Diagnostic Tests  are widely used for malaria diagnosis due to their accessibility, but their accuracy compared to microscopy, the gold standard, may differ. This study aimed to evaluate the comparability of malaria parasitemia diagnosis using  Rapid Diagnostic Tests and light microscopy and assess the relationship between Packed Cell Volume and malaria parasitemia in a primary health care setting in Borno State, Nigeria.
A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 participants, comprising adults and children. Blood samples were tested using Rapid Diagnostic Tests and light microscopy to diagnose malaria parasitemia. Sensitivity and specificity of Rapid Diagnostic Tests were calculated and compared to results from light microscopy as the reference standard. Malaria parasitemia was more prevalent in individuals with anemia, with 27.3% in adults and 44.4 % in children respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of Rapid Diagnostic Tests were 20% and 80%, respectively. While light microscopy had a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 81.3%. Rapid Diagnostic Tests provide a useful diagnostic tool in resource-limited settings but exhibited lower diagnostic accuracy compared to light microscopy. The higher prevalence of malaria parasitemia among individuals with anemia emphasizes the need for improved diagnostic strategies and includes concurrent management of anemia in malaria-endemic regions.