Diagnosis of malaria

Early and accurate diagnosis of malaria is essential for effective disease management and malaria surveillance. High-quality malaria diagnosis is important in all settings as misdiagnosis can result in significant morbidity and mortality.

Malaria parasites can be identified by examining under the microscope a drop of the patient's blood, spread out as a "blood smear" on a microscope slide. Prior to examination, the specimen is stained (most often with the Giemsa stain) to give the parasites a distinctive appearance.

Related journals for malaria chemotherapy, control and elimination, bacteriology and parasitology.