Ebola Crisis Could Wipe Out 328,000 Jobs Across Africa

The spread of Ebola could cost Africa up to $3.6bn and hundreds of thousands of jobs, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) warned on Tuesday, cautioning that the outbreak could trigger a broader development crisis.

Since the outbreak began on May 15, 1,307 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been infected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and 377 have died. The strain currently has no approved vaccine or treatment. A smaller number of cases have also been reported in Uganda, and experts warn the disease could spread to neighboring countries, including South Sudan.

“If we have the necessary resources and step up our efforts, we can stop the epidemic and prevent further losses. If not, there is a risk that the health crisis will turn into a much deeper and longer-lasting development crisis in the region and on the continent”, said Damien Mama, the UNDP representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The UNDP outlined three possible scenarios. In the best-case scenario, if the outbreak is contained within the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, economic losses would total about $1 billion. In the worst-case scenario, the virus would spread to Rwanda and Angola. Combined with rising fuel prices, that would reduce Africa's GDP by $3.6 billion and result in the loss of about 328,000 jobs.

(Reuters, bak)