West Africa to suffer hefty losses each year due to Ebola outbreak: UN report

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UNITED NATIONS, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The region of West Africa would lose at least 3.6 billion U.S. dollars per year on average between 2014 and 2017 as a consequence of ripple effects of Ebola, according to a UN report released Thursday.
Due to a decrease in trade, closing of borders, flight cancellations as well as reduced foreign direct investment and tourism activity, the region as a whole will witness the loss of GDP and as well a drop of 18 dollars in the region's per capita income per year in that period, said the report entitled Socio- economic impact of Ebola in West Africa.
"The consequences of Ebola are vast," said Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, the director of United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Africa. "Stigma, risk aversion and shutting down of borders have caused considerable amounts of damage, affecting economies and communities in a large number of countries across the sub-region."
The report also said actions for preventing future outbreaks must include strengthening health sectors across the region, creating a regional center for disease control and prevention and establishing early warning and disaster management systems.
According to new numbers released Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO), 10,004 people have died from the disease in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. And more than 24,350 people have been infected.
UN announced Wednesday that the WHO and the World Food Program (WFP) are joining forces to bring the Ebola outbreak down to zero in West Africa.
Earlier this month, the WHO launched its Ebola vaccination trials in Guinea to test whether the vaccine is an effective way to prevent Ebola.