Malaria and hepatitis b virus co-infection among hiv patients in a tertiary hospital in port harcourt, rivers state, Nigeria

Background: Malaria, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are some of the infectious diseases with great public health importance. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of malaria-HBV co-infection among HIV subjects in a tertiary hospital in Rivers State. Method: Blood samples were collected from HIV positive subjects and examined for Plasmodium parasite and HBV using standard laboratory procedures. Result: The results obtained showed that out of the 200 samples examined for both malaria and hepatitis B virus (HBV), 61.5% were tested positive for plasmodium infection while 7% were positive to HBV. Males, 71(70.30%) recorded a significantly higher infection than females, 52(52.52%) in malaria (p<0.05). in HBV, males 11(10.89%) also recorded a significantly higher prevalence than the females 3(3.03%) (p<0.05). Age-wise, those >30yrs (62.28%) had the highest prevalence in malaria than those <20yrs (42.86%) and within 20-30yrs (62.03%) (p>0.05). Co-infection was recorded in 7% of the cases, with males 11(10.89%) recording a higher prevalence than females, 3(3.03%) (p<0.05). Result revealed the presence of malaria, HBV and a combination of both in HIV subjects. Conclusion: This suggests the need for active surveillance and implementation of preventive measures against infections among immunocompromised individuals.