For thin smears, the percent of infected RBCs is determined by counting the number of infected RBCs in relation to the number of uninfected RBCs. A minimum of 500 RBCs should be counted:
(Number of infected RBCs ÷ Total number of RBCs counted) x 100 = Percent Infected RBCs
Of note: a multiple infected RBC is counted as one and gametocytes are not figured into calculations.
