Rapid diagnostic tests for malaria A useful tool for managing fever in endemic countries, but not a substitute for good microscopy

摘要

Despite a decline in incidence, malaria remains one of the leading infectious causes of mortality worldwide. Although Asia accounts for the largest proportion of the world's population exposed to malaria, most clinical cases and deaths from the disease occur in sub-Saharan Africa. This is due to a higher average intensity of malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa and to the infective species involved. Plasmodiumfalciparum, the parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria and the majority of deaths from the disease, largely occurs in Africa, whereas Plasmo-dium vivax, the parasite that generally causes a more benign disease, is the predominant species in most of Asia.