Design and Pilot Testing of a Low-Cost Point-of-Care Diagnostics Kit for Malaria Diagnosis Among School Children in Ghana

Malaria remains a significant public health issue in Ghana, particularly among school children who are at high risk of infection due to frequent travel and close proximity to their communities. A collaborative effort between medical researchers and local educators was initiated to design the POC kit. Field testing involved 150 schoolchildren who were randomly selected for both control (standard microscopy) and test group (POC kit). Data collection focused on accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use. The POC kit demonstrated a sensitivity rate of 92% in identifying malaria infections among the tested children. The kit was found to be significantly more affordable than current standard microscopy methods, with an average cost per test being $1.50 compared to $3.50 for microscopy. The POC malaria diagnostic kit showed promising results and is a viable alternative to traditional microscopy methods in schools within Ghana's public health system. Further clinical trials are recommended to validate these findings, followed by scaling up the implementation of this low-cost diagnostic tool across more schools in Ghana. Malaria Diagnosis, Point-of-Care Testing, School Children, Low-Cost Solutions