Ebola has created widespread panic in West Africa as countries have instituted a number of measures to combat the infectious fatal disease. Health experts and public officials fear it could reach beyond the borders of Africa and hit nations all over the world.
Sierra Leone recently imposed a nationwide lockdown to help contain the Ebola outbreak. State officials declared it a success. However, despite the number of measures being implemented by governments, it is expected by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that about half a million people could very well be infected with Ebola by the end of January.
According to one World Bank official, if the nations of West Africa fail to contain the virus and the Ebola outbreak expands globally then it could very well incite an international economic catastrophe and be the cause of an astronomical number of deaths.
Francisco Ferreira, World Bank chief economist for Africa, said in a Sept. 19 interview in Lusaka, Zambia that the estimated costs of the outbreak could exceed initial projections. For instance, the costs of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone may reach close to $1 billion. Furthermore, the region’s gross domestic product may diminish by nearly four percent.
Ferreira cited the paucity of funds reaching the countries as hurting the region’s chances. He added that the “panic response” that states have imposed, including shutting down airports, airlines canceling flights and municipalities reducing methods of transportation, have impacted the worst-hit economies the most.
“If other countries in the vicinity in the subregion of West Africa fail to do what Nigeria and Senegal have done — which is to keep things under control — then the costs will become much much larger,” said Ferreira.
As of Sept. 17, there have been more than 5,000 confirmed cases and nearly 3,000 deaths in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Due to the lack of resources, not enough equipment and an insufficient number of personnel, these numbers are possibly much greater and more difficult to fight and contain.
This was confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO):
“We don’t have enough health workers, doctors, nurses, drivers, and contact tracers to handle the increasing number of cases,” said Keiji Fukuda, WHO Assistant Director-General for Global Health Security. “Most of the infections are happening in the community, and many people are unwilling to identify themselves as ill. And if they do, we don’t have enough ambulances to transport them or beds to treat them yet.”
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