Parasitic Worms Increase AIDS Transmission

While only about 10% of the world’s population lives in Sub-Saharan Africa, it accounts for some two-thirds of the world’s HIV/AIDS cases. Researchers are now suggesting that the disproportionately high infection rate may be related to parasitic worms common in the region. They found that monkeys who had parasitic worms were more easily infected with the AIDS virus and that once infected, they had higher levels of the virus in their bloodstreams than parasite free-monkeys. Much of the water supply in Sub-Saharan Africa is contaminated with parasitic worms, exposing citizens to the parasites and leaving them more susceptible to HIV infection and more likely to pass the virus to others.