An approach was developed to evaluate benefits andcosts of introducing and using a set of clinicalcriteria in selecting cases for giving presumptivetreatment where existing practice is using fever as thesole criterion. The study is based on hypotheticaldata, secondary data from the annual reports of theVector Borne Diseases Control Program of Myanmar andthe literature reviewed. A set of clinical criteria was developed using alogistic regression model to predict blood slidepositivity. Rainy season, temperature equal to orhigher than 38 degree C and splenic enlargement werefound to be statistically singificant. Based on thespciificity and sensitivity of the criteria considered

two equations, one for valuing benefits and the otherfor valuing costs arising from introducing and usingthe clinical criteria were developed. Benefits were defined as saving of drug costs fortreating false positive cases unnecessarily. Costs weremeasured in terms of additional costs incurred onintroducing and using the clinical criteria developed.Both benefits and costs were evaluated from theprovider viewpoint. Benefit : cost ratio was found tobe more than unity when the slide positive rate wassubstantially low and the number of new cases infectedby each false negative case was not high. If the bloodslide positivity rate is high this approach may not beapplicable. Although there are some limitations to theapproach its simplicity makes it easy to understand andapply. It may also supplement a more comprehensiveapproach in evaluating benefits and costs that couldarise from introducing a new diagnostic technology incontrolling malaria.