JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) said on Tuesday, June 30, that the potential losses from the Ebola outbreak in Africa could reach USD 3.6 billion and cause a development crisis.
"If we have resources and we increase our efforts, we can hold this outbreak and prevent further losses," said the representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Congo, Damien Mama, Tuesday, June 30, quoted by Reuters.
An outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no vaccine or proven treatment, has infected 1,307 people and killed 377 in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the case was announced on May 15.
A number of small cases have been detected in Uganda and experts warn of the possibility of spreading to neighboring countries, such as South Sudan.
"Otherwise, this health emergency risks becoming a much deeper and prolonged development crisis across the region and potentially across the continent," he continued.
UNDP outlined three scenarios for the outbreak. In the best scenario, where the epidemic remains under control in both countries, the cost imposed on the Congolese GDP reaches USD1 billion.
In a worst-case scenario, the disease spreads to countries including Rwanda and Angola and coincides with a rise in fuel costs linked to the Iranian crisis, slashing the continent's GDP by USD3.6 billion and resulting in the loss of 328,000 jobs.
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