Research Finds HIV, Malaria Co-Infected Women More Likely to Pass HIV to Foetus
Posted on: Monday, 21 November 2005, 09:00 CST
Research finds HIV, malaria co-infected women more likely to pass HIV to foetus
PARIS, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- HIV positive mothers might be more likely to pass the virus to their children in uterus if they are also infected with malaria, said reports here on Monday quoting scientists from the Cameroon branch of France's Pasteur Institute.
Scientists suspected a link between malaria and HIV after finding that mother-to-child HIV transmission in uterus was three times higher during the rainy season, when malaria is most prevalent.
Tests of 131 HIV and malaria infected pregnant women found that malaria boosts production of a substance that could increase HIV replication in the placenta and incapacitate foetus's immune system.
As co-infection of HIV and malaria frequently occurs in Africa, scientists believe that if the link between malaria and foetal HIV infection is established, local authorities should conduct routine tests of pregnant women for both diseases to reduce the risks of HIV transmission.
Most of the HIV-positive children under 15 got the virus from their mothers while they were in wombs. Currently, only 10 percent of the HIV-positive pregnant women could receive timely treatment to reduce the risk of transmitting the disease to their fetuses, according to statistics from the United Nations.
Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS
Related Articles
- 'Project Runway' Designer in Philadelphia for AIDS Walk Philly to Educate About Living with HIV through Living Positive By Design
- AIDS Treatment Activists Push UNAIDS and WHO to Meet Commitments to Reduce HIV in Women and Newborns
- Scientists Show Why Anti-HIV Antibodies Are Ineffective At Blocking Infection
- Research Discovers a New Way Men Can Transmit HIV to Women
- Integrated Prevention Demonstration Campaign Launched in Western Kenya to Fight HIV, Malaria and Diarrhoeal Disease
- China Reports Rising HIV in Women
- Day Highlights Rising HIV in Women
- HIV Screening Urged for All Pregnant Women
- Xenomics Files U.S. Patent Covering Tr-DNA Detection of Malaria, Leishmaniasis and Other Parasite Infections
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds