Table 4.

Comparative cost analysis of Hz-MOD and Conventional malaria diagnostic assays.

Diagnostic Method	Cost per Test (USD)	Cost Components	Time per Test	Advantages	Disadvantages	Reference
Hz-MOD (Gazelle)	$2.18–$2.36	Device amortization, materials, and minimal labor	~3 min	Sensitive; Rapid; Cost effective	Cannot differentiate species	[31]
RDT (Rapid Diagnostic Test)	$1.00–$2.19	Materials ($1.00–$1.51), labor ($0.68)	~15–20 min	Rapid, easy to perform, and inexpensive	Unable to quantify parasitemia; Absence of HRP 2 leads to false negative results	[30,32]
Microscopy	$6.98	Materials ($0.18), labor ($6.80)	~30–60 min	Gold standard test and high specificity	Labor-intensive and slow, and limited sensitivity at low parasitemia	[32]
PCR	$20–$60	Reagents, skilled labor, and equipment	7–8 hours	Highest sensitivity/specificity	Costly, slow, and requires lab infrastructure; not suitable for field use	[33,34]

The estimated cost covers reagents and supplies for DNA extraction and slide preparation, including equipment and labor costs.