Malaria remains a major public health problem in Sudan and worldwide. One of the major problems hindering the efforts to combat malaria is the emergence of drug resistant parasites and the subsequent treatment failure. Therefore, it is important to identify and regularly update the information related to the molecular markers of drug resistance in malaria endemic areas. This study is part of the research project related to the 2016 Sudan national Malaria Indicators Survey (MIS), which aimed to collect molecular-based data in addition to known primary objectives in past surveys.

In this survey, a representative sample of households was taken from all the eighteen states of Sudan. Of the 42,102 individuals tested using RDT, 2,503 (5.9%) were positive for malaria. Blood samples were collected from all individuals on labeled Whatman 3mm filter paper, allowed to air dry, packaged in sealable bags containing silica gel and properly stored for further molecular study. This study uses samples collected from malaria-positive individuals (N=1,652) for molecular purposes related to the parasite. The main objective is to create a map of malaria drug resistance molecular markers of Plasmodium falciparum in the Sudan. A second objective is to determine the complexity of infections and the presence of the different Plasmodium species.