Background: Malaria is a major public health concern in Nigeria with an estimated 68 million cases and 194,000 deaths due to the disease in 2021. Accurate parasitological malaria diagnosis remains a cornerstone in the control of malaria infection in endemic regions.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malaria positivity using mRDT and blood film microscopy as well as assess the distribution of plasmodium species among febrile patients seen at the General Outpatient Clinic of Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi, Benue state, Nigeria.

Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study involving 120 consecutive febrile patients aged ≥5 years who gave consent/assent, over a period of six months at the GOPC of BSUTH Makurdi. Data on socio-demographics, clinical and laboratory information were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Blood samples were examined for malaria parasite using mRDT and microscopy for malaria diagnosis. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics summarized the data.

Results: A total of 120 patients were seen. The majority of participants were below 40 years of age, while 72 (60.0%) were females. The prevalence of malaria was 48.3% by mRDT and 47.5% by microscopy. Plasmodium falciparum was the predominant species (45.8%), followed by P. malariae (1.7%).