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

DR Congo's Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has infected 1,307 and killed 377 since May 15, with no approved vaccine

The United Nations said on Tuesday that an Ebola outbreak could ​cost Africa up to $3.6 billion and hundreds of ‌thousands of jobs, potentially causing a development crisis.

The outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no tested ​vaccine or treatment, has infected 1,307 people and ​killed 377 in the Democratic Republic of Congo ⁠since being declared on May 15, the government says.

A ​much smaller number of cases have been reported in ​Uganda, and experts warn of the possibility of it spreading to other neighbouring countries, such as South Sudan.

"If we have the resources ​and we step up, we can contain this outbreak ​and prevent further losses," said Damien Mama, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative ‌in ⁠Congo.

Read More: Congo Ebola outbreak outpacing response

"If we do not, this health emergency risks becoming a much deeper and prolonged development crisis across the region and potentially the continent."

The UNDP outlined three ​scenarios for the ​outbreak. In ⁠the best scenario, where the epidemic remains contained in the two countries, the ​cost is $1 billion for Congo's GDP, the report ​said.

In ⁠the worst-case scenario, the disease spreads to countries including Rwanda and Angola and coincides with higher fuel costs linked ⁠to ​the Iran crisis, cutting continental GDP ​by $3.6 billion and resulting in 328,000 job losses, the report said.