Malaria, a mosquito-borne blood infection, is caused by the Plasmodium genus. The traditional diagnostic approach relies on the manual examination of stained blood cells under a microscope. However, this labour-intensive and time-consuming process can be significantly improved with machine learning techniques to analyze microscopic images of blood smears for parasite detection. This paper reviews the various methodologies previously employed, focusing on the different strategies used for imaging. A comprehensive summary is provided, detailing the work conducted on both thin and thick blood smear images. Emerging developments in deep learning, coupled with contemporary mobile technologies, are also highlighted as potential future tools for malaria diagnosis. The paper further explores recent advancements in machine learning techniques for malaria detection and identification in images, emphasizing challenges associated with image processing. In addition, a detailed comparison is made between various machine learning approaches to provide a comprehensive overview. The application of these advanced machine learning and deep learning techniques holds the potential to revolutionize the process of malaria detection and control.