Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - November 13, 2003
Double trouble: HIV and malaria can independently cause complications during pregnancy, endangering the health of both the pregnant woman and her baby. But when the two diseases occur together, the dangers are compounded, according to recent studies.
The first study, published in November's Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, found that the symptoms of malaria were about four times more likely to develop in HIV-infected women than in those without HIV. Dual infection was associated with an increased risk of maternal, perinatal, and early infant death. A second study, published as a letter in this month's AIDS, found an increased risk of placental malaria in HIV-infected women. This was also associated with a greater risk of HIV transmission to the infant.
An increase in incidence and fatality from malaria in pregnant women and their infants is a cause for concern because these women and infants are already at great risk from the mosquito-borne illness.
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