Ebola outbreak could cost Africa up to $3.6 billion, UN says

Damien Mama, United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo, stated that sufficient resources and stepped-up efforts are crucial to contain the outbreak and prevent further economic damage. He cautioned that without adequate intervention, the health emergency could escalate into a more profound and prolonged development crisis.

The 2013-2016 Western African Ebola epidemic, which primarily affected Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, serves as a stark historical precedent. This outbreak resulted in 28,616 reported cases and 11,310 deaths, highlighting the devastating human and socioeconomic toll such epidemics can exact.