Prompt and accurate diagnosis is critical to the effective management of malaria and in improving the reliability of surveillance data. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) and microscopy are the primary diagnostic tools for the confirmation and management of suspected clinical malaria due to their high diagnostic performance in detection, their wide availability, and their relatively low cost. Microscopy and RDTs must be supported by a quality assurance (QA) programme and WHO has been working with malaria-endemic countries to strengthen their capacity to ensure prompt and accurate diagnosis.

To build capacity of malaria microscopists, WHO supports conduct of microscopy refresher trainings and certifies expert microscopists through an external competency assessment. Malaria laboratories are supported through an external quality assessment (EQA) programme in which a panel of blood samples are sent to participating laboratories for parasite detection, speciation and quantification. Based on EQA results, laboratories are then followed-up to identify gaps or deficiencies in procedures and to implement necessary corrective actions.

WHO provides technical support to countries in reviewing and updating the QA for malaria diagnosis and has developed several guidelines, manuals and standard operating procedures to achieve this goal. A regional malaria slide bank was established in 2008 to support countries to implement activities aimed at strengthening QA of malaria microscopy. The establishment of national malaria slide banks is also being supported. WHO also facilitates the post-purchase evaluation of RDTs through lot testing.