Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria among positive patients on antiretroviral therapy attending Mulago National Referral Hospital

Abstract

Malaria and HIV are among the most important global health problems. Both are diseases of poverty and share determinants of vulnerability, the two infections overlap geographically and since Uganda is one the countries that was hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, which tends to compromise the body’s immunity of individuals, the study therefore was aimed at establishing the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria among HIV positive patients on ART and as well to establish the effect of ARV combination therapy on the occurrence of malaria among HIV positive patients. At the end of the study, there were more females that participated than males, most of the people tested negative, most participants were taking TDF/3TC/EFV, the proportion difference between drug combinations was statistically insignificant. To achieve the above, a cross sectional study was carried out using 140 participants, and descriptive statistics was used to establish the prevalence of malaria among HIV positive patients on ART, the data generated was summarized in tables, graphs and pie charts and analyzed using STATA. During the study, it was found that the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria among HIV positive patients on ART is 23.57% and that TDF/3TC/EFV was the best drug combination compared to rest in reducing the occurrence of malaria.