Making malaria testing relevant: beyond test purchase

Abstract

Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) are being procured and used in increasing numbers. However, the resultant effect of RDT-based diagnosis on fever management has been limited by lack of confidence in RDT results or the inability to act on results appropriately. If the utilisation of malaria RDTs is going to achieve the significant public health and financial benefits anticipated, they must be introduced in a carefully structured way and viewed as a tool for the management of febrile illness, not just malaria. If this is to occur, a re-think is required of the way many malaria programmes are funded and run.