Malaria rapid diagnostic tests : a revolution and challenge for management of febrile disease

Febrile patients in malaria-endemic areas need rapid and accurate diagnosis to ensure prompt access to antimalarial treatment to avoid severe disease. As most fevers in malaria-endemic areas of South Africa are not caused by malaria, and symptom-based diagnosis is highly nonspecific, rapid demonstration of the presence or absence of malaria parasites reduces delays in appropriate management of non-malarial fever, saves resources by reducing use of antimalarial drugs, and helps to determine true malaria prevalence. The introduction of malaria antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) has extended the possibility of such accurate, rapid diagnosis to the whole population for the first time. CME Vol. 26 (6) 2008: pp. 297-298