Marking World Malaria Day 2025: Spotlighting Medical Laboratory Scientists’ Pivotal Role in Advancing Health Equity through Life-Saving Diagnostics

Every year on April 25, the world comes together to commemorate World Malaria Day to highlight progress, galvanize action, and reaffirm our commitment to ending one of the world’s oldest and deadliest diseases. This year’s theme, “Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world,” reminds us that malaria remains a preventable and treatable disease that disproportionately affects vulnerable populations in sub-Saharan Africa and other endemic regions. At the heart of this fight stands a cadre of unsung heroes—Medical Laboratory Scientists, whose work underpins every step of malaria control and elimination.

The Vital Role of Medical Laboratory Scientists
Medical Laboratory Scientists (MLS) are the backbone of accurate diagnosis and surveillance; two pillars essential to malaria elimination efforts. Their expertise spans microscopic detection of Plasmodium species, rapid diagnostic test (RDT) validation, molecular assays like PCR and LAMP for species confirmation, and monitoring drug resistance patterns.
With an interview with the PRO of Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, Dr Gloria Amegatcher, mentioned that accurate and timely diagnosis is key to saving lives. Performing microscopy, the gold standard in malaria diagnosis helps identify species and parasitemia levels. She also mentioned that rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are essential for point-of-care diagnosis in resource-limited settings. Likewise applying molecular diagnostics for detecting low-level parasitemia and confirming treatment failures or recrudescence is of great importance.
MLS contribution towards the fight against malaria
Medical Laboratory Scientists collect, analyze, and report on malaria data, contributing to national and global malaria surveillance systems and decision making. This helps track outbreaks, monitor trends, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
From evaluating new diagnostic tools to exploring host immune responses, MLSs are pivotal in malaria research with innovative approach to support antimalarial drug resistance monitoring, vaccine efficacy studies and the development of portable and sensitive diagnostic platforms for field use
Laboratory scientists also mentor and train frontline healthcare workers on malaria diagnostics and quality assurance, ensuring that even the most remote facilities deliver reliable test results.
A Call to Action
On this World Malaria Day, let us recognize and empower the essential role of Medical Laboratory Scientists in the malaria fight. Investing in their training, equipping laboratories, and integrating diagnostics into national strategies is not just beneficial but it is essential.
Malaria can be defeated, but only with the combined efforts of all health professionals, especially those at the diagnostic frontlines.
Together, let’s test, treat, track and ultimately eliminate malaria