Comparative of Rapid Diagnostic Test with Microscopy to Diagnose Malaria Diseases

The study was conducted to compare rapid diagnostic test with microscopy (blood film) to diagnose malaria disease. This diagnostic test was done in South of Nias District and Sabang District, North Sumatera. Blood film were colored with Giemsa 10% solution and examined by trained microscopists. Rapid Diagnostic Test was done based on the manual procedure. The results of diagnostic test of rapid diagnostic test were sensitivity 63,5%; specificity 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) 100%, and negative predictive value (NPV) 93,5%. The density of parasite in rapid diagnostic test (+) were 1.483 +/- 583 parasite/mu l (1.120-2.920 parasite/mu l. In other hand, the density of parasite in rapid diagnostic test (-) and microscopy were 621 +/- 335 parasite/mu l (120-1.160 parasite/mu l). Microscopy still better than rapid diagnostic test, especially in patient with low parasite density.