JAKARTA - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warned on Tuesday that the Ebola outbreak could push nearly one million more people into poverty in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Speaking from Kinshasa at a weekly press conference in Geneva, UNDP Resident Representative Damien Mama said six out of 10 people already live below the poverty line.
He reminded that more than 1,400 cases and 350 deaths have been confirmed in the DRC and Uganda up to this week, and warned that these numbers continue to rise, reported by Anadolu (1/7)
Mama said the Ebola pandemic in the DRC is more than just a local health crisis, underlining that more than 90 percent of confirmed cases are around Ituri Province, which is also considered a major center for cross-border trade with neighboring countries.
Mama warned that the outbreak could cost Africa nearly 3.6 billion US dollars and threaten more than 300,000 lives, while Congo would lose more than 1 billion US dollars and 55,000 jobs, even if the outbreak was successfully controlled.
Mama also emphasized that this could reduce the continent's GDP by 2.37 billion US dollars.
He added that the impact has begun to be seen in a tangible way, causing job losses, slowing down the market, and pushing families to the brink of difficulty.
Mama said some families were forced to violate isolation measures, suggesting that medical responses alone were not enough.
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