Implementation of community case management of malaria in malaria endemic counties of western Kenya: are community health volunteers up to the task in diagnosing malaria?

This study evaluated the effectiveness of community health volunteers (CHVs) in diagnosing malaria using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) under Kenya’s Community Case Management of malaria (CCMm) strategy. Conducted in four malaria-endemic counties with a 27% prevalence rate, the study compared 200 RDT results from CHVs with those from experienced medical laboratory technicians (MLTs), using microscopy as a reference. The findings showed a high level of agreement (kappa score of 0.89) between CHVs and MLTs, with CHVs achieving 95% sensitivity and 94% specificity. These results affirm that CHVs can reliably perform malaria RDTs, supporting their continued role in community-based malaria diagnosis

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