Malaria screening
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Malaria screening On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Malaria screening |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Screening of malaria is important in Sub-Saharan refugees and blood donors.
Screening
Screening for malaria infection is important in:
- Sub-Saharan refugees
- A sub-optimal alternative to presumptive therapy is to test newly arriving for malaria infection.
- Studies have demonstrated that a single malaria thick-and-thin blood smear lacks sensitivity for detecting asymptomatic or sub-clinical malaria in these populations.
- Three separate blood films taken at 12 to 24 hour intervals, the standard recommendation for diagnosis of clinical malaria, has a greater sensitivity. However, this approach is rarely feasible for screening newly arriving refugee populations because of cost constraints and the need for multiple visits.
- When a refugee does not receive presumptive therapy they should be monitored for signs or symptoms of disease, particularly during the initial 3 months after arrival, regardless of the post-arrival testing results.
- Blood donors