Updates on Malaria parasites distribution among HIV infected and AIDS patients in Comboni Hospital, Uganda.

Abstract

Background: Despite efforts to clamp down the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, its impact is still alarming. Epidemics are increasing due to man-made conflicts and climate-associated disasters causing the movement of non-immune populations to malaria-endemic areas. Urban and peri-urban malaria is now a substantial problem in Africa with Malaria becoming more difficult to manage. Objectives: To outline the pattern of malaria parasites distribution among HIV/AIDS patients in Comboni Hospital, Uganda. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study, designed to investigate the malaria prevalence in 160 febrile HIV/AIDS patients. Thick and thin blood films were made and stained with field stains A and B, guided by standard parasitological methods, and examined microscopically under x 100 oil immersion objective. Results: A total of 160 HIV/AIDS patients were recruited between August and October 2013. The prevalence of Malaria in HIV was 30(19%) of the participants were co-infected with both Malaria and HIV while 130(81%) had only HIV. Most had CD4 cell count between 600-<800 at 79(49%) while those with CD4 cell count below 200 were only 10(5%). The prevalence of HIV and malaria parasites was 33.3% high among working-class people of ages 30-40 years. This could be linked to their occupation which encourages them to work too late at night which exposes them to mosquito bites. Immunosuppression or CD4 level inversely impacted the malaria distribution. Thus low CD4 was associated with high malaria distribution and high malaria distribution was common with participants with low CD4 count. Other significant results are fully discussed. Conclusion: HIV was high among Malaria patients and malaria was high among HIV-infected and AIDS patients. Mosquito net usage was effective in malaria control among those who used them but was ineffective among some age groups characterized by constant stay outside the mosquito net due to alcoholism and a variety of social events which makes people stay outside the nets at nights.