Malaria and HIV Infection among Febrile Patients in a Large Area of Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract Background: Malaria and HIV/AIDS are two major diseases that represent serious public health threats in Nigeria. They have been ascribed diseases of poverty, and therefore their distribution is expected to be overlapping. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria parasites and HIV among febrile patients in the Ikeja area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 300 patients attending medical consultation and referred to blood screening for malaria parasites at Reddington Hospital, Lagos State. Malaria parasites were identified microscopically, and HIV screening was carried out using rapid diagnostic tests (RDT). Results: The prevalence of malaria and HIV was 98.7% and 3.7%, respectively. All HIV-positive individuals were also infected by malaria parasites. Mean parasitemia was significantly higher in HIV-positive individuals (16,507.9 ± 2,280.7 P/μL) than in HIV-negative subjects (3,252.505 ± 236.3 P/μL) (p <0.05). Conclusions: Our results suggest that HIV-infected individuals are more susceptible to infection with malaria parasites. Prompt HIV management is necessary in malaria-endemic areas to reduce disease severity in case of coinfection with HIV.