What is the relationship between HIV/AIDS and malaria?
There is a growing body of knowledge on the interactions between HIV/AIDS and malaria. The consequences of such interactions are particularly serious for reproductive health. Co-infected pregnant women are at very high risk of anemia and malarial infection of the placenta. As a result, a considerable proportion of children born to women with HIV and malaria infection have low birth weight and are more likely to die during infancy. It is unclear whether malaria during pregnancy increases the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV; studies examining this relationship have shown conflicting results. Among adult men and women who are not pregnant, HIV/AIDS may augment the risk of malarial illness, especially in those with advanced immune-suppression. In areas of unstable malaria transmission, HIV-infected adults may be at increased risk of developing severe malaria. HIV-infected adults with low CD4 cell counts may also be more susceptible to treatment failure of anti-malarial drugs. F
