Evaluation de la fiabilité du diagnostic symptomatique du paludisme dans un contexte de faible capacité de laboratoire, au centre-sud de la Côte d'Ivoire [ Evaluation of the accuracy of malaria presumptive diagnosis in a setting of limited diagnostic services, south-central Côte d'Ivoire ]

• Published in: International journal of innovation and applied studies Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 146
• Main Authors: Bassa, Fidèle K, Adiossan, Lukas G, Diakite, Nana R, Orsot, Mathieu N, Meledje, Gauthier D, Valian, Laurent K, N'Goran, Eliezer K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: Rabat International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies 01.09.2015
• ISSN: 2028-9324

Presumptive diagnosis of malaria remains a common practice in several health facilities in Cote d'Ivoire, because of the irregular supply of rapid diagnostic tests and lack of laboratory facilities. The objective of this present study is to assess the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis of health workers operating in a predominantly rural area, in the Taabo district. Over a period of 10 months (May 2012-February 2013), 1,495 patients suspected by health workers as having malaria were subjected to a parasitological diagnosis using rapid diagnostic tests and microscopy. Compared to the parasitological diagnosis, the sensitivity of the clinical diagnosis was 67.22%. The sensitivity of the clinical diagnosis was significantly higher among children under 10 years of age than in older individuals (80.67% versus 52.90%; p <0,001). Fever and vomiting were the symptoms significantly associated with malaria. Health workers showed relatively good performance in the clinical diagnosis of malaria. However, this does not exclude an overestimation of the number of malaria cases.