This essay is part of a (more or less) weekly feature on this blog that presents interesting stories from elsewhere in the world, particularly Africa, that are little reported in the American media. It's part of my campaign to get people to realize there is a lot going on in the world outside the US, Israel, Iraq, North Korea and Iran.
According to an article in the journal Science, scientists have discovered what they believe is a link between the two biggest natural killers in Africa.
Apparently, the way malaria and the HIV virus which causes AIDS may help each spread faster. The BBC explains:
When people with Aids contract malaria, it causes a surge of HIV virus in their blood, making them more likely to infect a partner, the research says.
Meanwhile people weakened by HIV are more likely to catch malaria.
Additionally, "In turn, the weakening of the immune system by HIV infection has fuelled a rise in adult malaria-infection rates and may have facilitated the expansion of malaria in Africa," said James Kublin of the Hutchinson Center.
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