Queen says Malaria should not be sidelined by Ebola

The Queen is of the view that malaria might make a comeback due to lack of enough attention to it as more attention is being given to Ebola, said a medical professor.

At Chatham House, the Queen met Professor David Heymann, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Heymann said, "She was very interested in Ebola because she said her doctor had told her that there were more people dying from malaria every week than are dying from Ebola."

"She's afraid that malaria will have a comeback because of the fact people are not paying enough attention to it."

Malaria claims hundreds of thousands of people around the world each year, especially children in sub-Saharan Africa. As per World Health Organisation, there were around 207 million malaria cases in 2012.

Prof Heymann supported the Queen because children with fever will face trouble getting a doctor in hospitals as hospitals will be giving more preference to Ebola sufferers.

Over 4,500 people have died from Ebola, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The UK has committed �125 million for dealing with Ebola. It has been urging other wealthy countries to do more to prevent the spread of the virus.

The Professor said that the Queen, whom he described as "very perceptive" had told him: "After Ebola we will still have malaria." He said there is "a great fear" that now the number of deaths from common childhood diseases like malaria and diarrhoeal diseases will go up.

However, the professor added, "This should not detract attention from Ebola. It's a very terrible disease."

Source: Medindia