How to Diagnose Malaria

Malaria is an infection of a sporozoan in the Plasmodium genus. It is transmitted through the bite of a female mosquito of the Anopheles genus. It may be responsible for 10 percent of deaths in children in developing countries where malaria is endemic. Increasing drug and insecticide resistance of Plasmodium and Anopheles make malaria a continuing global health threat. The following steps will show how to diagnose malaria.

Instructions

• 1

  Obtain a patient history. Infection with malaria can occur quickly so even brief stopovers in endemic areas are significant. Include a history of blood transfusions, organ transplants and malaria in the mother for newborns.

• 2

  Expect the onset of symptoms to occur within 8 to 18 days, depending on the species of Plasmodium involved. Malaria is marked by a high fever that is usually continuous. Vomiting is also common in children and may be accompanied by diarrhea with dark green stools.

• 3

  Confirm a diagnosis of malaria by detecting Plasmodium in a blood smear. However, half of pediatric patients will smear negative, especially in endemic areas where children may have a partial immunity.

• 4

  Examine a thick film in cases of suspected malaria with a negative blood smear. Review 100 to 200 fields before considering the sample to be negative. Take another sample in four hours in the case of ambiguous findings.

• 5

  Perform molecular detection tests such as DNA and RNA probes or polymerase chain reaction. These tests are accurate and sensitive, but also expensive and not always available.