Examination of ACT Implementation in a Vivax / Falciparum Co-endemic Area

Overview

In areas of which are co-endemic for vivax and falciparum malaria, treatments for the two diseases often differ and this may lead to mistreatment. This places an emphasis on diagnosis at the health service provision level. Diagnosis is also important when malaris endemicity is low - most fevers are not caused by disease. These two issues mean that most malaria and fevers are not adequately treated, even though the drugs may be effective; many patients who do not have malaria are treated for the disease, and patients with malaria may get the wrong treatment for their species. The study aims to test the effectiveness of employing rapid diagnostic tests and will study the effect on correct treatment.

The study will randomly assign diagnostic methods, either with clinical diagnosis, field microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests. The study will take place in 22 clinics in Eastern and Northern Afghanistan, both areas with low transmission of predominantly vivax malaria. They differ in their locations and their current standard diagnostic methods. The study will examine the result of the diagnostic test in the clinic against the result of reference slides and PCR to estimate the number of cases correctly treated in each arm. This will be a measure of the effectiveness of diagnosis (and the physicians response to the diagnosis) and be influential in considering modalities for diagnostic delivery

Conditions