Background this country, where malaria does not occur naturally, is

the determination of parasite density. However, the4Faculdade de Ciências Biomédicas (FACIMED), Cacoal, RO, Brazil Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleThe main strategy for malaria control consists of early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Delayed diagnosis or treatment contributes to the rapid spread of malaria and an increased risk of severe and fatal malaria cases [1]. In Brazil, the transmission of malaria predominantly occurs in the Amazon region in the north. The risk of succumbing to malaria in the non-endemic regions of 100 times greater for individuals who visit the Amazon than that for inhabitants of the Amazon region [2]. This is mainly due to diagnostic errors and delay in the treatment of malaria, because of inexperience of the professionals within these non-endemic regions with regard to the cor-rect microscopic diagnosis of this infection. In fact, it is not rare for the disease to be diagnosed after death [3]. The microscopic analysis of a thickly stained blood smear is still the most suitable method for the diagnosis of malaria. It is a simple, quick, low-cost technique that en-ables the correct diagnosis of the malarial parasite specie