The World Health Organization has emphasized that
early diagnosis and prompt treatment for malaria should
occur within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms to
decrease the risk of severe complications and onward
transmission [3]. Appropriate treatment-seeking behaviour
and easy access to health services are important components
vital to its success [9]. Specifically, it is recommended
that patients should seek medical treatment following the
onset of fever, a common symptom of malaria [10]. It has
been recognized that self-treatment may lead to delays in
seeking treatment [9,11,12]. Such delay may mean patients
develop severe complications within three to seven days
of onset of fever [13]. However, in the case of falciparum
malaria, these may occur within a few hours [3,14].