A point of care analyzer (950, 960) comprising: a cytometer including a housing; and a microfluidic cartridge insertable in the housing; and wherein: the micro fluidic cartridge comprises: a flow channel for conveying a whole blood sample; at least one scattering optical channel (442, 501, 503) for determining a count and/or properties of constituents of the whole blood sample; at least one fluorescent optical channel for detecting and identifying markers on constituents of the blood sample for an immunoassay wherein the constituents of the blood sample to be detected in an immunoassay may be at least one of a group of CD4, CD45, CDX, CDXX, p. falciparum, p. vivax, various other pathogens, and the like; the analyzer is characterized in that the micro fluidic cartridge further comprises a branch in the flow channel from which whole blood may be directly conveyed to a lysing reagent deposition region with a dry lysing powder and a bubble trap arrangement to eliminate air bubbles generated during blood lysing by the dry lysing powder prior to an optical absorption channel for measuring the hemoglobin. a cytometer including a housing; and a microfluidic cartridge insertable in the housing; and wherein: the micro fluidic cartridge comprises: a flow channel for conveying a whole blood sample; at least one scattering optical channel (442, 501, 503) for determining a count and/or properties of constituents of the whole blood sample; at least one fluorescent optical channel for detecting and identifying markers on constituents of the blood sample for an immunoassay wherein the constituents of the blood sample to be detected in an immunoassay may be at least one of a group of CD4, CD45, CDX, CDXX, p. falciparum, p. vivax, various other pathogens, and the like; the analyzer is characterized in that the micro fluidic cartridge further comprises a branch in the flow channel from which whole blood may be directly conveyed to a lysing reagent deposition region with a dry lysing powder and a bubble trap arrangement to eliminate air bubbles generated during blood lysing by the dry lysing powder prior to an optical absorption channel for measuring the hemoglobin. the micro fluidic cartridge comprises: a flow channel for conveying a whole blood sample; at least one scattering optical channel (442, 501, 503) for determining a count and/or properties of constituents of the whole blood sample; at least one fluorescent optical channel for detecting and identifying markers on constituents of the blood sample for an immunoassay wherein the constituents of the blood sample to be detected in an immunoassay may be at least one of a group of CD4, CD45, CDX, CDXX, p. falciparum, p. vivax, various other pathogens, and the like; a flow channel for conveying a whole blood sample; at least one scattering optical channel (442, 501, 503) for determining a count and/or properties of constituents of the whole blood sample; at least one fluorescent optical channel for detecting and identifying markers on constituents of the blood sample for an immunoassay wherein the constituents of the blood sample to be detected in an immunoassay may be at least one of a group of CD4, CD45, CDX, CDXX, p. falciparum, p. vivax, various other pathogens, and the like; the analyzer is characterized in that the micro fluidic cartridge further comprises a branch in the flow channel from which whole blood may be directly conveyed to a lysing reagent deposition region with a dry lysing powder and a bubble trap arrangement to eliminate air bubbles generated during blood lysing by the dry lysing powder prior to an optical absorption channel for measuring the hemoglobin.