Back Ground: Malaria and HIV/AIDS are the major priority medical challenges facingrnsub-Saharan Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular and yet little has been known sornfar on the clinical and public health implications of HIV and Malaria co-infection. Evenrnif the statistical effect is modest, any interaction between these two infections would havernpublic health significance.rnObjectives: A cross sectional health institution based study was conducted between midrnOctober 2003 and mid January 2004 in three health facilities in Hadya Zone, SouthernrnEthiopia. The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of HIV malariarnco-infections in the area and to describe the clinical manifestations of malaria in HIVrnpositive and HIV negative malaria patients.rnSubjects and methods: A total of 337 microscopically confirmed malaria patients in thernage range of 15-34 years were included in the study. A structured questionnaire was usedrnto collect data on socio demographic and clinical variables. Physicians used a checklist ofrnphysical findings during physical check up of patients. Anonymous HIV testing was donernon the blood samples of the patients using single ELISA technique by an experiencedrnlaboratory technologist.rnxivrnResults: The HIV serostatus assessment revealed that 4.2% (14 out of 337) of thernpatients were seropositive for HIV. No socio demographic difference was detectedrnbetween HIV positive and HIV negative malaria patients.rnConclusions and Recommendations: The study concluded that the current HIVrnprevalence among P.faciparum malaria patients was not different from the HIVrnseroprevalence in the general population in the area, based on the prevalence findingsrnfrom the national sentinel reports. No strong evidence suggesting an association betweenrnHIV and malaria was identified. The need for further studies with improvedrnmethodologies and designs is emphasized.rnKey Words: HIV, Malaria, Coinfection, Health Institution, Ethiopia