Comparative Analysis of Malaria Diagnosis Using Microscopy and Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) in Ijebu-Igbo North Local Government, Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Malaria remains one of the greatest concerns for the African population. To curb malaria, certain strategies need to be adopted like a quick diagnosis of the parasite within the human body, maintenance of proper environmental hygiene and use of other control methods. Diagnosis of malaria is often achieved using Microscopy, Rapid Diagnostic Test and Molecular Technique. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Microscopy and Rapid Diagnostic Testing in diagnosing malaria infection in patients at the General Hospital, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, Nigeria which also falls under a malaria-endemic region using 150 study participants. Blood samples were collected from study participants having malaria symptoms using ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) container. The screening was done using microscopy method and Rapid Diagnostic Test. The data generated were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19. The statistical parameter that was used for the analysis of the data was Pearson's Chi-Square Test, P at 0.05. The result shows the prevalence of malaria obtained through microscopic examination was 120 (80%) considerably more than RDT 54 (36%). These findings confirmed that microscopy is the gold standard in malaria diagnosis due to its high sensitivity, which allows it to detect parasites even at low counts. However, RDT has a specificity of 93.3% and a sensitivity of 92.2%, indicating that it is also effective when the parasite load is high. However, when compared to RDT kits for malaria diagnosis, microscopic analysis showed a higher sensitivity (100%); nevertheless, RDT may be a useful tool for rapid intervention to avoid the dangers associated with delayed diagnosis.