Rapid diagnostic tests
WHO has developed tools to strengthen capacities on the use of microscopy and systems to promote quality assurance of malaria microscopy.
Global Malaria Programme
The WHO Global Malaria Programme (GMP) is responsible for coordinating WHO's global efforts to control and eliminate malaria. Its work is guided by the "Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030" adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015 and updated in 2025.
Diagnostic testing
Prompt malaria diagnosis either by microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) is recommended by WHO for all patients with suspected malaria before they are given treatment. Early and accurate diagnosis is essential both for effective management of the disease and for strong malaria surveillance.
Parasite-based diagnostic testing significantly reduces illness and death by enabling health providers to swiftly distinguish between malarial and non-malarial fevers and select the most appropriate treatment. It improves the overall management of patients with febrile illnesses and may also help reduce the emergence and spread of drug resistance.
Where quality-assured diagnosis is readily available, health-care providers should only give antimalarial treatment to patients who test positive, while those who test negative should be assessed for other causes of fever.
Since 2010, when WHO recommended testing of all suspected malaria cases, the proportion of patients receiving a malaria diagnostic test has increased significantly.
WHO Guidelines for malaria
The WHO Guidelines for malaria bring together all current WHO recommendations on malaria in one easy-to-navigate web-based platform. They are a living resource that will be updated periodically as new evidence becomes available. The Guidelines are available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish.
Key areas
Microscopy
WHO provides tools and related material to ensure quality assured microscopy-based diagnosis for patients suspected of malaria.
Nucleic acid amplification-based diagnostics
Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) enable sensitive detection of low density malaria infections.
Tools and resources
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Publications
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6 December 2024
Response plan to pfhrp2 gene deletions, second edition
The emergence of P. falciparum parasites with deletions in the pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 genes in most malaria-endemic regions poses a significant biological threat...
Relapsing malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax parasites poses a significant challenge to global malaria elimination efforts. About one third of the population...
14 November 2022
Tests for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity
Target product profiles (TPPs) as key tools to incentivize and guide the development of urgently needed health products. The TPPs published here describe...
13 October 2022
Quality and safety practices for malaria rapid testing services
This document is a guide defining requirements for quality and safety for malaria rapid diagnostic testing services to safeguard the quality of the results,...
21 November 2018
Malaria rapid diagnostic test performance. Results of WHO product testing of malaria RDTs: Round 8 (2016-2018)
This report, published in conjunction with a summary overview of results of rounds 1–8, is the eighth and final report in a series of laboratory-based...
1 September 2017
False-negative RDT results and implications of new reports of P. falciparum histidine-rich protein 2/3...
In some countries, increasing levels of histidine-rich protein 2 and 3 (hrp2/3) gene deletions threaten the ability of health providers to diagnose and...