Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. It is both preventable and curable, yet in 2018 there were an estimated 228 million cases of malaria worldwide and 405,000 deaths.
Early diagnosis and timely treatment are the cornerstones of malaria control. PMI Impact Malaria (IM) supports the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance that calls for universal diagnostic testing and rapid treatment with a recommended antimalarial drug only when a test is positive.
Malaria diagnosis is performed by using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) or by examining a blood smear under a microscope. WHO recommends artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), which contain an artemisinin-based drug combined with another effective antimalarial, for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria.