UN Warns Ebola Outbreak Could Cost Africa $3.6 Billion

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Geneva: The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa could cost the continent's economies up to $3.6 billion and eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs if it spreads further, the United Nations warned on Tuesday.

A rapid socioeconomic assessment indicates the public health emergency risks triggering a prolonged development crisis that could push nearly one million additional people into poverty.

The current outbreak, driven by the rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain which has no licensed vaccine or treatment, has infected more than 1,300 people and claimed 377 lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo since May. Cases have also been confirmed in neighboring Uganda.

UN officials emphasized that while health containment measures like quarantines remain critical, broad travel and trade restrictions are inadvertently devastating local economies and informal livelihoods. Under a worst-case scenario where the virus reaches Rwanda or Angola, continental GDP could shrink by $3.6 billion.