Diagnosis of malaria in pregnancy: accuracy of CareStart™ malaria Pf/PAN against light microscopy among symptomatic pregnant women at the Central Hospital in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Background: The need to start treatment early for pregnant women who present with clinical features of malaria usually conflicts with the need to confirm diagnosis by microscopy (MP) before treatment, due to delays in obtaining results. Parasite sequestration in the placenta is also a problem. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), which detect soluble antigens, are a valuable alternative.