2.5. LABORATORY EVALUATIONS ON-SITE a - Urine β-HCG pregnancy test was conducted on women aged 13-49 b - Two thick blood smears were prepared on day 0 and at each follow-up visit (days 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 180). One thick smears was examined on site to verify parasite species and a formal parasite count. The second slide was archived for later examination. Two qualified microscopists read all the slides independently. Discordant results were re-examined by a third microscopist, and parasite density was calculated by averaging the two closest counts. Microscopic diagnosis of malaria (parasite-specific DNA and gametocyte-specific RNA transcripts) was further confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR on days 0, 1, 2, 3, 28 and on the day of any parasite recurrence.