ABSTRACT
One of the most common diseases which constitute a huge burdening public health concern in
Nigeria is malaria. Although various advancements have been made in the global fight against it,
Africa’s sub Saharan regions including Nigeria in particular still share huge malaria burden. The
model of transmission as well as the strategies of controlling malaria infection in Nigeria is still
evolving from region to region. The aim of this investigation was to assess comparatively (using
three methods) the malaria infection amongst some patients attending clinic in a health facility,
with a view to ascertain prevalence and sensitivities of screening tools/methods. Blood samples
from fifty consented patients were obtained for analysis using microscopic, rapid diagnostic test
(RDT) and Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) established protocols. The results showed that
malaria infection was present in the following order; RDT- 6%, PCR- 26% and microscopy- 44%.
The implication is that such disparity could have been a concern arising from procedural error or
precision and accuracy levels of methods implored. But whether this variation is due to either
postulation may be elucidated in exploring further investigation.
Key words: Malaria, plasmodium falciparum, Microscopy, RDT, PCR
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