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ANALYSIS OF DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF RAPID DIAGNOSTIC TEST IN CONFIRMED CASES OF MALARIA IN CHILDREN

Dr. Munzir bin Dastgir, Dr. Syed Abuzar Abidi, Dr. Aizaz ul Azeem

Introduction: The adoption of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for malaria in most endemic countries, and the availability of new diagnostic tools, such as rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), have led the World Health Organization (WHO) to recommend a modified approach to malaria management. Objectives of the study: The basic aim of the study is to analyse the diagnostic accuracy of rapid diagnostic test in confirmed cases of malaria in children. Material and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in THQ Hospital Shahkot during March 2019 to October 2019. Participants included in the study were under-5-year-old children, either admitted in the children's ward or attending any clinic on outpatient basis. Results: This study recruited 270 patients. Twelve patients were excluded due to incomplete data. Two hundred and fifty-eight patients were tested using Paracheck-Pf RDT, while 167 patients were tested using thick-film microscopy. Because of 91 patients who did not have matching microscopic tests, these patients’ results were excluded from the analysis. The actual patients’ results included for analysis were 167. Conclusion: It is concluded that interpreting test results without gold standard can be challenging. The use of RDTs in the diagnosis of malaria infection offers an easy-to-use, low-cost, and rapid testing alternative

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