The Ebola outbreak has led to a rise in other deadly diseases, according to health chiefs.
Malaria cases in particular are soaring as people in the countries hardest hit by Ebola either cannot find an open clinic or are too afraid to go to one.
Since the Ebola outbreak began in February, around 300,000 people have died from malaria, many of them children. Other diseases, such as pneumonia and typhoid, are also said to be going untreated as the crisis continues to grip west African countries.
The WHO has referred to the situation as an “emergency within an emergency”.
Medics have seen a decline in the number of children being vaccinated for preventable diseases. Meanwhile, some hospitals have reported a dramatic fall in the number of patients they are seeing.
Thomas Teuscher, of charity Roll Back Malaria, said: “We’re so concentrated on this very scary Ebola thing that we have forgotten about the very common things.”Related:50 days to avert global Ebola catastrophe
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