page_title: Malaria
section_title: Diagnosis
hierarchical_section_title: Malaria / Diagnosis
caption_attribution_description: English: Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) being used at the Rabuor Health Center in Kenya. RDT takes 20 minutes to produce a malaria diagnosis
context_page_description: Malaria is produced by 4 species of the protozoal parasite Plasmodium, is endemic in many tropical countries. It is one of the most common health problems. As per latest WHO estimates * between 149–274 million clinical cases and ~ 0.655 million deaths occur globally due to malaria each year, 90% of which are in Africa.
  This amounts to one malaria death every minute. In India the National Malaria Eradication Programme, started in 1958, achieved near complete disappearance of the disease in 1960s.
  Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a parasite: it is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. People catch malaria when the parasite enters the blood. The parasite causes a deadly infection which kills many people each year.
  . However, due to the development of insecticide resistance among mosquitoes and other factors, it staged a comeback in the mid 1970s, and continues to prevail in endemic/subendemic proportions, so that 80% indian population lives in malaria risk areas.
  The parasite that causes malaria is a protozoan called 'Plasmodium'. Protozoa are organisms with only one cell, but they are not bacteria. Bacteria are smaller and simpler than protozoans.
caption: Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) being used in Kenya. RDT takes abou 20 minutes to produce a malaria diagnosis. It is useful in areas where laboratory testing is not available, it is not however foolproof.[5]
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