A study was conducted in 1997 to compare the accuracy of presumptive diagnosis of
malaria in children aged 1–9 years performed by caretakers of the children to that of health
centre staff in 2 ecological zones in southern Ghana. Similar symptoms were reported in the
children at home and at the health centre. In the home setting, symptoms were reported the
same day that they occurred, 77· 6% of the children with a report of fever were febrile
(axillary temperature⩾ 37· 5° C) and 64· 7% of the reports of malaria were parasitologically …