Malaria continues to be a major global health issues. Among the human plasmodium, P. Falciparum is the most fatal and P. Vivax is the most prevalent worldwide.  Despite being the most prevalent, limited research has been done as the attention was drawn toward P. Falciparum. One of the challenges in P. Vivax control is to make a diagnosis. Its dormant stage in the liver makes it hard to reach such a diagnosis. Furthermore, its genetic and geographic diversities add more challenges. To control malaria, There is a need for rapid, accurate and easy diagnostic tools. While most rapid diagnostic tools (RDTs) can detect as low as 100 parasites per microliter, using nanoparticles can decrease this threshold to five parasites per microliter,  using nanoparticles can decrease this threshold to five parasites per microliter. 

Global Health Mentor: Robert H. Gilman, MD