HIV and Malaria - Is there a Link?

HIV is most easily spread when patients have high virus levels in their blood. A bout of malaria causes a temporary surge -- a stunning sevenfold increase (some claim up to 10 times)-- in those levels, said lead researcher Laith Abu-Raddad, a scientist at the University of Washington.

The surge may last six weeks to eight weeks. That is longer than it takes adults in intense malaria areas, where people get the parasitic disease once or twice a year, to recover from a typical bout and feel up to sexual activity again, he said.

Moreover, HIV patients are more susceptible to malaria reinfection because of their weakened immune systems.

Although this is a sad link, there is a silver lining...it will hopefully double the awareness for each of the conditions. When scientific evidence concludes that they are linked in a way that each can worsen the other and realizing how significant each of the conditions are...then maybe the world will pay more attention. (check out nothingbutnet.net to help)

BBC: Malaria/HIV story