Malaria and HIV/AIDS - UNICEF Malaria Technical Note No. 6

“As HIV spreads, it interacts with other infectious diseases, facilitated by the increase in numbers of immunosuppressed individuals and because its own clinical course can be altered by other infections. Infectious diseases often ‘synergize’, or negatively affect each other, and this is most noticeable with HIV and tuberculosis (TB). In areas of high HIV prevalence, the incidence of TB infection is increased, with a resultant increase in mortality. In addition, susceptibility to HIV can be increased by other infections, notably sexually transmitted infections (STIs), leading to high rates of HIV transmission in communities with high prevalence of STIs.

In Africa, the HIV pandemic has been superimposed on the longstanding malaria pandemic, where P. falciparum malaria is consistently one of the major causes of infant and child mortality. The high prevalence of both HIV and malaria infection in Africa means that even small interactions between the two could have substantial effects on populations. With the inception of the Roll Back Malaria partnership in 1998, there was recognition that previous gradual declines in malaria mortality had been reversed during the 1990’s, and that interactions between malaria and HIV could be one contributor.

Early research did not indicate any direct, biological association between HIV and malaria, although it was noted that malaria-associated anaemia treated with unscreened blood transfusions contributed to HIV transmission. In more recent years, three key issues have focussed much of the research effort: 1] Does HIV/AIDS increase susceptibility to malaria infection or increase severity of acute malarial episodes? 2] Does malaria infection accelerate progression of HIV/AIDS? 3] What is the impact of malaria and HIV co-infection during pregnancy?

Effect of HIV on malaria: HIV infection increases the incidence and severity of clinical malaria. In non-pregnant adults, HIV infection has been found to roughly double the risk of malaria parasitemia and clinical malaria. In east and southern Africa, where HIV prevalence is near 30%, it is estimated that about one-quarter to one-third of clinical malaria in adults (including during pregnancy) can be accounted for by HIV.

Effect of malaria on HIV: Although the effect of malaria on HIV has not been so well documented, some recent research is now adding to the growing body of evidence. Acute malaria infection increases viral load, and one study found that this increased viral load was reversed by effective malaria treatment. This malaria-associated increase in viral load could lead to increased transmission of HIV and more rapid disease progression, with substantial public health implications.

HIV and malaria co-infection during pregnancy: Malaria infection is more frequent and more severe in HIV-positive pregnant women in malaria-endemic settings. Multigravidae with HIV infection are similar to primigravidae without HIV infection in terms of susceptibility to, and negative consequences of, malaria infection. Therefore, in the presence of HIV infection, the risk associated with placental malaria appears to be independent of the number of pregnancies. Pregnant women infected with both malaria and HIV are at higher risk of developing anaemia, delivering low birthweight infants, delivering prematurely… “

Text and photograph for this article courtesy UNICEF, a partner and Cooperating Organization with dgCommunity Youth for Development.

AIDS in Asia and the Pacific - amFAR Report

March 14, 2008. Asia is confronting a complex and devastating HIV/AIDS epidemic. Although HIV did not hit Asian countries until the late 1980s, by the late 1990s the epidemic was well established across the region. UNAIDS reports that in 2007, approximately 440,000 Asians/Pacific Islanders were newly infected with HIV, bringing the total number liv. . .

Added by  Anuradha Bhattacharjee  May 8, 2008
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Thailand - Part of amfAR's Report on AIDS in Asia

March 2008. Thailand has long been recognized as one of the world’s success stories when it comes to fighting back against HIV/AIDS. It was the first country in Southeast Asia to be hit by the epidemic in 1984, and soon after, HIV incidence began to soar among sex workers, gay men, and later, injection drug users (IDUs). The Thai government and NGO. . .

Added by  Anuradha Bhattacharjee  May 8, 2008
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AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

July 17, 2007 - According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region has one of the fastest-growing epidemic in the world. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of infections in recent years. In 1994, there were approximately 30,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the region out . . .

Added by  Anuradha Bhattacharjee  May 8, 2008
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Overview - amFAR MSM Initiative

“MSM have been largely ignored by both social and public health structures in many countries for too long,” stated a recently published study in the journal PLoS Medicine. While available data indicate a widespread threat that could devastate MSM populations around the world, HIV transmission among MSM is still not tracked in most countries. A P. . .

Added by  Anuradha Bhattacharjee  May 8, 2008
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Fighting Eviction, Taiwan AIDS Shelter Helps Transform Human Rights Law

A little more than a year ago, Harmony Home, an organization in Taiwan that provides housing and care for HIV-positive people and their children, was facing eviction from its Taipei quarters because of opposition from neighbors who did not want people living with HIV in their community. Now, thanks to the efforts of AIDS advocates in Taiwan and aro. . .

Added by  Anuradha Bhattacharjee  May 8, 2008
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Treating Pediatric AIDS: It Takes a Village

"With children, HIV infection is not treated just by pills. Children need the care of family, they have to have friends, they have to go to school. It's not just medical care." When Dr. Pagakrong Lumbiganon speaks about her work with HIV-positive children at Thailand's Srinagarind Hospital, she chooses her words calmly, but at moments her voice cat. . .

Added by  Anuradha Bhattacharjee  May 8, 2008
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Report on the East African Access to Essential Medicines Conference June 15 -16, 2000, Nairobi, Kenya

"I am tired of not being able to treat patients because the medicines are too expensive. Africans should not be dying because of inability to pay when effective medicines can be available at affordable prices. These medicines are already available in countries such as Thailand, India, and Brazil."--Dr Christopher Ouma, AIDS project co-ordinator, Mé. . .

Added by  Shambhu Ghatak  May 8, 2008
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UNICEF annual appeal to meet needs of children and women in global emergencies

UNICEF’s annual Humanitarian Action Report released in February appeals for funds to meet the needs of children and women affected by emergencies around the world – including those plagued by poverty and recurrent conflict, like this child in Chad. Calling on donors to help address 39 specific crises around the world, the UNICEF today Humanitarian . . .

Added by  Anuradha Bhattacharjee  May 7, 2008
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Support groups in Mozambique offer hope for stopping mother-to-child HIV transmission

Every Wednesday morning, 30-year-old Telzira, who is living with HIV, attends a support group at the health centre in Xai-Xai city. The group offers encouragement to pregnant women and mothers living with HIV. The comfort Telzira receives from other women living with the virus and the nurses who lead the group helps her face the future with hope. “. . .

Added by  Anuradha Bhattacharjee  May 7, 2008
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Thembi Ngubane: "I said no way, this is not anonymous; this is Thembi and everyone has to hear it."

Thembi Ngubane, from Khayelitsha, a township in Cape Town, South Africa, discovered she was HIV positive when she was 16 years old. Six years later, while attending a support group, she was approached by a United States-based radio producer interested in making a documentary about a year in the life of a young, HIV-positive South African. Now, Them. . .

Added by  Laura Lopez Gonzalez, PlusNews  May 7, 2008
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