Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - December 1, 2005
Bilharzia threat: Treating bilharzia can benefit people with HIV/Aids, according to researchers.
They say the finding suggests that bilharzia, often caused by people drinking or bathing in stagnant water, suppresses our ability to fight the infection. This might mean that HIV/Aids progresses faster in patients who are also infected by the worms.
Research suggests that the worm suppresses the immune system, rendering those infected vulnerable to viral infections such as HIV.
The precise extent to which bilharzia speeds the development of Aids is still unknown, the researchers say.
The irony is that although bilharzia remains responsible for illness among some 2,5-million people in South Africa, it has been overshadowed by its disease "cousins" malaria and HIV/Aids -- and yet treating the one may well help fight the others.
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