3rd International Conference on Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Montreal, Canada
Richard Ekong
AIDS Support Organisation(TASO), Uganda
Title: PREVALENCE OF MALARIA IN HIV SERO POSITIVE PATIENTS UNDER ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY ATTENDING THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE INSTITUTE
Biography
Biography: Richard Ekong
Abstract
Statement of the problem; Malaria is the world’s most wide spread infection and according to the malaria report 2011, malaria was prevalent in 106 countries of the tropical and semitropical world with 35 countries in central Africa bearing the highest burden of cases and deaths worldwide.
HIV/AIDS, infection has been associated with increased incidence of malaria and more severe disease and hence there is need to evaluate the use of microscopic quantification of malaria parastamia among HIV patients under antiretroviral therapy.
The study was aimed at determining the prevalence of malaria in HIV positive patients, determining the sex frequency and age distribution of malaria using microscopy which is the gold standard for malaria diagnosis. The findings of the study were meant to emphasize to the HIV/AIDS clinicians the utility of parasitological based diagnosis versus presumptive treatment of malaria within HIV treatment programs within the infectious disease institute and the entire public as a whole. This study was also done so as to provide baseline data at the infectious disease institute and the health service commission as a way of alerting the malaria control programs of the potential of malaria-HIV added influence with the view for development of joint strategies.
Methodology and theoretical orientation; a total of 384 adults attending the infectious disease clinic were enrolled in this study between the months of January and march .Blood specimens were collected from HIV positive patients under antiretroviral therapy that consented to the study into purple top EDTA vacutainers and processed accordingly for falciparum detection using microscopy by making thick smears which were then later stained with leishman stain for 10 minutes then air dried.
A total of 110(28.7%) out of the 384 HIV/AIDS infected patients on antiretroviral therapy had malaria.
Conclusion and significance: The study revealed a low prevalence of asymptomatic malaria among HIV infected patients on antiretroviral therapy. Measures to reduce malaria infection among HIV patients are advocated.