ISSN Print: 2151-805X
ISSN Online: 2151-8068
Impact of HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and HIV/Malarial Coinfection in Pregnant Women in Zambia and Zimbabwe
ABSTRACT
This article will discuss the impact of HIV/AIDS and malaria coinfection in pregnant women in Zambia and Zimbabwe, and how these diseases hinder the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals 4, 5, and 6 (MDGs). These goals include the reduction in maternal and child mortality (MDGs 4 and 5) and the end of HIV/AIDS and malaria (MDG 6). This article seeks to determine how the sociopolitical and economic climate in Zambia and Zimbabwe prevent the reduction of these diseases. The ethical principles of justice, beneficence and utility, human rights, and nonmaleficence must be considered as they affect the public health approaches to combatting these diseases. Some proposed interventions include efforts to decrease mother-to-child transmission, intermittent preventive therapy for malaria, antenatal care programs, insecticidal nets, and medical therapies. There were no direct participants in this review. The study methods include an analysis of the current public health literature. Our results and recommendations include an investment in the infrastructure of Zambia and Zimbabwe, and an expansion of the antenatal care programs.