The United Nations warned that the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo may cost Africa up to $3.6 billion and endanger tens of thousands of jobs.
The outbreak is “sparking a far-reaching socioeconomic crisis which could push 985,000 more people into poverty,” according to the UN Development Programme.
According to a statement released by UNDP on Tuesday, “the Ebola crisis also risks eliminating tens of thousands of jobs, disrupting education and healthcare services, and costing African economies up to $3.6 billion if broader regional and global shocks intensify.”
The DR Congo and its neighbors, particularly Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan, would be the main targets of the poverty shock, which would disproportionately affect women.
UNDP cautioned that “some of the broader restrictions on travel and trade are inadvertently devastating local economies and informal livelihoods, even though the immediate public health threat is severe and requires containment measures like quarantines.”
According to data from the World Health Organization, there have been 1,333 cases and 399 confirmed fatalities in the DRC, while 189 people have recovered from the illness.
UNDP’s regional director for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, stated that “Ebola does not stop at the hospital gate.”
It has an impact on trade, public budgets, livelihoods, education, food security, and trust. We run the risk of overlooking the much more significant development crises surrounding this Ebola outbreak if we only address it as a health issue.
According to UNDP, the economic loss would be “severe” even in a baseline scenario where the virus is successfully contained in the DRC and Uganda, which has seen 20 confirmed cases.
According to the report, the DRC will see “real GDP losses exceeding $1 billion and the loss of 55,000 jobs.”
“Even if transmission remains largely contained, trade disruptions, border restrictions, transport delays, declining consumer confidence, and interruptions to informal markets could reduce continental GDP by US$2.37 billion,” the agency cautioned.
In order to guarantee that maternity, reproductive, and newborn healthcare services can continue during the crisis, UNDP advised establishing emergency financing methods, switching from border closures to targeted screening, and providing direct cash transfers to the most vulnerable.
The DRC’s most recent Ebola outbreak is centered in the conflict-affected northeastern Ituri region.
The Bundibugyo species of the virus, for which there is no known vaccine or particular therapy, is the source of this viral hemorrhagic fever outbreak.
