Diseases such as Malaria and pneumonia could cost as indirect consequences of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, substantially more than in past years. The clinics are busy and the staff overwhelmed, which complicates the treatment of other diseases.
In West Africa, the Horror has a name: Ebola. But the highly contagious Virus is just one of the diseases that threaten the lives of the people in the crisis region increasingly. Experts believe that, as a concomitant of epidemic diseases such as Malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea as well as complications at birth, significantly more people are living costs than in the past.
The reason: the health systems of The States are overwhelmed, staff, and capacities to find, scarce, and many Africans out of fear of contagion rather not clinic.
Even more deaths from other diseases
Since March health organization (WHO) succumbed to the world, at least 3091 people of the Ebola disease, which is associated with a high fever and external and internal bleeding. 6574 people have been infected.
Scientists as well as WHO Director-General Margaret Chan to warn, however, in the three hardest by Ebola-affected countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone there is, in addition, an increasing number of deaths by other diseases. How large the scale was, could not be determined. Scientists speak of a kind of "Waves-Effekt" of the disease.
Malaria-related deaths could quadruple
Even without Ebola in Africa to die in the West every year, around 100,000 people of Malaria. Expert Jimmy Whitworth from the UK charity "Wellcome Trust" assumes that this number will quadruple in the next year in the countries affected by Ebola, because the people have no life-saving medical treatment will be given.
"People shy away from visiting in a hospital, because they are afraid of with Ebola to infizieren", explains Whitworth. In the episode, you also got no medicine against the disease, let alone the necessary care.
Problem: normally, vaccinations are no longer taking place
In addition, the hospitals were sick from Ebola and that there is no more space for other patients. And in smaller health centers, no staff was present. Experts therefore assume that the mortality is due to increase of diarrhea or pneumonia.
They apply in sub-Saharan Africa now as the most common cause of death of children. Also more people are not more likely to die of diseases with chronic heart, because they receive their usual treatment. As a rule, vaccinations are no longer happening, for girls and boys at a higher risk of diphtheria, Contracting polio and tuberculosis.
Children under the age of five particularly at risk
According to the President of the aid organization "Save the children", Carolyn Miles, are at risk the 2.5 million children under five years of age in the Ebola Region anyway. In addition to the risk to infect themselves with Ebola or another disease, you will face a serious psychological consequence of damage caused by the death of parents or Relatives.
WHO Director-General Chan addressed, however, the growth of other deadly diseases as "Kollateralschäden" the Ebola-epidemic. "All of this is part of the Central problem is that there is no fundamental healthcare infrastructure. This has made it possible that the Virus is out of control."
