Assessment of Severe Malaria among Pregnant Mothers living with HIV

Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Malaria each interact with the host immune system, resulting in complex activation of immune cells. HIV positive patients are likely exposed to severe malaria with marked reduction of CD4 cells and increase in plasma viral load. Malaria complication associated with HIV positive pregnant mothers are rarely investigated during antenatal care In order to attain complete management and also prevent vertical transmission. An assessment was carried out to examine the relationship between HIV infection and malaria prevalence in pregnant mothers as well as parasitemia in relation to severity of infection. CD4 cell Count, Viral load, malaria screening; Packed Cell Volume and Blood Glucose Level were systematically performed using standard procedure. The higher prevalence of severe malaria infection obtained among HIV clients in this study, reveals that HIV positive pregnant mothers had clear evidence of greater exposure to severe malaria in a region of higher malaria transmission. Both diseases are wide spread in Africa & therefore strategies to reduce the severity of malaria during pregnancy should be reinforced especially in area of high HIV prevalence.