Dual HIV and Malaria Infection Potentiates the Spread of Both Diseases

In a mathematical model applied to a Kenyan community of about 200,000 people, dual infection was estimated to have resulted in 8500 excess HIV infections and almost 1 million excess malaria episodes since 1980.

HIV-infected individuals have an increased susceptibility to malaria infection, and malaria has been shown to induce HIV replication. In an HIV-infected individual, acute malaria infection leads to a viral-load spike that could potentially increase the likelihood of HIV transmission (ACC Mar 1 2005). In the absence of empiric data on the interplay between HIV and malaria, investigators developed a mathematical model to estimate the effect of recurrent malaria on HIV transmission and the effect of HIV infection on malaria incidence.

Using data from Kisumu, Kenya, the model shows that the interaction between the two diseases resulted in an 8% higher peak in prevalence for HIV and a 13% higher peak for malaria. These values translate to a cumul…

Reviewing Author

Salim S. Abdool Karim, MD, PhD

Dual HIV and Malaria Infection Potentiates the Spread of Both Diseases

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Reviewing Author