The United Nations (UN) has warned that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa could cost the continent up to 3.6 billion dollars and lead to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs if it is not swiftly contained.
The warning was issued on Tuesday as the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment, continues to spread.
According to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the outbreak has infected 1,307 people and claimed 377 lives since it was declared on May 15.
Although the majority of cases have been recorded in the DRC, a smaller number have also been reported in neighbouring Uganda. Health experts have expressed concern that the disease could spread further to other neighbouring countries, including South Sudan.
Speaking on the situation, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in the DRC, Damien Mama, stressed the need for urgent international support to prevent the outbreak from escalating into a wider development crisis.
“If we have the resources and we step up, we can contain this outbreak and prevent further losses,” Mama said.
“If we do not, this health emergency risks becoming a much deeper and prolonged development crisis across the region and potentially the continent,” he added.
The UNDP outlined three possible scenarios for the outbreak’s economic impact.
Under the most optimistic scenario, where the epidemic remains confined to the DRC and Uganda, the outbreak could reduce the DRC’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by about one billion dollars.
However, under the worst-case scenario, the virus spreads to additional countries, including Rwanda and Angola, while higher global fuel prices linked to the Iran crisis further strain economies.
In that scenario, the report projects that Africa could lose up to 3.6 billion dollars in GDP, with an estimated 328,000 jobs lost across the continent.
The UN called for increased funding, stronger regional cooperation and intensified public health measures to contain the outbreak and minimise its humanitarian and economic consequences.
