Validity and reliability of RDT for diagnosis of malaria among febrile children in Jimma Town: southwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Malaria shows variations in its epidemiologic pattern in relation to the local situation. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have the potential to provide an accurate diagnosis and to determine the prevalence of malaria in ureas.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of malaria and to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of RDT for diagnosis of malaria.

METHODS: A health facility based cross-sectional study was conducted from September to November 2006 among Jebrile children of less than five years of age as part of interventional study to develop and test home management of malaria in Jimma Town. Both thick and thin blood smear microscopy were done by trained laboratory technicians. An RDT was conducted to evaluate its specificity, senstivity and relaibility using blood smear microscopy as a gold standard. Data were analsysed using SPSS12.0.1 and STATA 9.1.

RESULTS: A total of 929 febrile children were included in the sunrvey. P. falciparum or/and P. vivax combined together were identified using microscopy in 20.34% offebrile children presented to the health care facility. Forty three (4.63%) febrile children were positive for P. falciparum in their thin blood film microscopy. The sensitivity Iand specificity of RDT was 93.02% and 99.44% where as the positive likelihood ratio was 164.84 and positive predictive value was 88.89%.

CONCLUSION: RDT for malaria had high sensitivity and specificity in the group tested. However, the use of RDT in home management of malaria by community workers should be investigated and the validity and reliability of the RDT should he established before recommending using with home management of malaria.