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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has issued a stark economic warning, stating that the active Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could drain up to $3.6 billion from the continent’s economy and put more than 300,000 jobs in jeopardy.
According to Damien Mama, the UNDP’s Resident Representative, neighboring nations are highly vulnerable to the economic fallout. He noted that widespread issues like transit delays, heightened border restrictions, and sudden disruptions to informal marketplaces “could reduce the continental GDP by $2.37 billion, even if transmission remains largely contained“.
READ MORE: WHO declares Ebola emergency over DRC, Uganda outbreak
This recent surge of the virus first emerged on May 15 in Uganda and eastern DRC, quickly spreading across three Congolese provinces. Since the start of the outbreak, the death toll has climbed to nearly 400 people as health and economic officials scramble to mitigate the damage.
