TY - JOUR
T1 - Advances in Malaria Diagnostic Methods in Resource-Limited Settings
T2 - A Systematic Review
AU - Yalley, Akua K.
AU - Ocran, Joyous
AU - Cobbinah, Jacob E.
AU - Obodai, Evangeline
AU - Yankson, Isaac K.
AU - Kafintu-Kwashie, Anna A.
AU - Amegatcher, Gloria
AU - Anim-Baidoo, Isaac
AU - Nii-Trebi, Nicholas I.
AU - Prah, Diana A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - Malaria continues to pose a health challenge globally, and its elimination has remained a major topic of public health discussions. A key factor in eliminating malaria is the early and accurate detection of the parasite, especially in asymptomatic individuals, and so the importance of enhanced diagnostic methods cannot be overemphasized. This paper reviewed the advances in malaria diagnostic tools and detection methods over recent years. The use of these advanced diagnostics in lower and lower-middle-income countries as compared to advanced economies has been highlighted. Scientific databases such as Google Scholar, PUBMED, and Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), among others, were reviewed. The findings suggest important advancements in malaria detection, ranging from the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and molecular-based technologies to advanced non-invasive detection methods and computerized technologies. Molecular tests, RDTs, and computerized tests were also seen to be in use in resource-limited settings. In all, only twenty-one out of a total of eighty (26%) low and lower-middle-income countries showed evidence of the use of modern malaria diagnostic methods. It is imperative for governments and other agencies to direct efforts toward malaria research to upscale progress towards malaria elimination globally, especially in endemic regions, which usually happen to be resource-limited regions.
AB - Malaria continues to pose a health challenge globally, and its elimination has remained a major topic of public health discussions. A key factor in eliminating malaria is the early and accurate detection of the parasite, especially in asymptomatic individuals, and so the importance of enhanced diagnostic methods cannot be overemphasized. This paper reviewed the advances in malaria diagnostic tools and detection methods over recent years. The use of these advanced diagnostics in lower and lower-middle-income countries as compared to advanced economies has been highlighted. Scientific databases such as Google Scholar, PUBMED, and Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), among others, were reviewed. The findings suggest important advancements in malaria detection, ranging from the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and molecular-based technologies to advanced non-invasive detection methods and computerized technologies. Molecular tests, RDTs, and computerized tests were also seen to be in use in resource-limited settings. In all, only twenty-one out of a total of eighty (26%) low and lower-middle-income countries showed evidence of the use of modern malaria diagnostic methods. It is imperative for governments and other agencies to direct efforts toward malaria research to upscale progress towards malaria elimination globally, especially in endemic regions, which usually happen to be resource-limited regions.
KW - diagnostic methods
KW - loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)
KW - malaria
KW - polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205051940&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/tropicalmed9090190
DO - 10.3390/tropicalmed9090190
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85205051940
SN - 2414-6366
VL - 9
JO - Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
JF - Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
IS - 9
M1 - 190
ER -