1 Introduction
Malaria is a serious disease caused by a blood parasite named Plasmodium spp. The
World Health Organization estimates 300-500 million malaria cases and more than 1 million
deaths per year [10]. The definitive diagnosis of malaria infection is done by searching
for parasites in blood slides (films) through a microscope. However, this is a routine
and time consuming task. Besides a recent study on the field shows the agreement rates
among the clinical experts for the diagnosis are surprisingly low [9]. Hence, it is very
important to produce a common standard tool which is able to perform diagnosis with
same ground criteria uniformly everywhere.
In peripheral blood sample visual detection and recognition of Plasmodium spp is possible
and efficient via a chemical process called (Giemsa) staining. The staining process
slightly colourises the red blood cells (RBCs) but highlights Plasmodium spp parasites,
white blood cells (WBC), and platelets or artefacts. The detection of Plasmodium spp