Decline in Malaria Test Positivity Rates Following Capacity Building and Archiving of Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test Cassettes in Oyo State, Nigeria: a Retrospective Review of Records
Decline in Malaria Test Positivity Rates Following Capacity Building and Archiving of Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test Cassettes in Oyo State, Nigeria: a Retrospective Review of Records
By: Esther Oluwayemisi Ayandipo, Motunrayo Fagbola, Adetomiwa Gbolade, Jay Thomas Okpokpolom, Abiodun Ojo, Olatayo Abikoye, IniAbasi Nglass, Olayemi Abimbola, Augustine Firima, Arja Huestis, Gbolahan Abass, Babatunde Olatunji, Olufemi Adesanya, Veronica Momoh, Grace Nwankwo, Erkwagh Dagba, Jules Mihigo, and Uchenna Nwokenna
Publication: Malaria Journal | 22 April 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1093/jacamr/dlaf026
The malaria test positivity rate (TPR) is a key indicator for evaluating the effectiveness of malaria interventions. In Nigeria, routine data from January to June 2021 reported consistently high TPRs, ranging from 73 to 82%, while Oyo State reported TPRs of 70% to 74% during the same period. These figures were inconsistent with malaria therapeutic efficacy studies conducted between October 2009 and November 2010, which reported a much lower TPR of 35%. This discrepancy raised concerns about data quality, increased malaria incidence, or inaccuracies in malaria diagnosis.
This study highlights the critical role of auditing used rapid diagnostic test cassettes and recommends scaling up this approach in primary health care facilities. It also underscores the value of basic malaria microscopy training in improving the quality and accuracy of microscopy-based diagnosis. One limitation of this study is the absence of comparative data from other states in Nigeria where the interventions were not implemented.