UN report: Ebola may push about an additional million people into poverty in Congo and threaten Africa’s economy

The United Nations Development Program has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could push nearly an additional million people into poverty, with potential losses to African economies of up to $3.6 billion if the regional repercussions worsen.
The program reported that the crisis goes beyond the health aspect to include losses in jobs, trade and basic services, anticipating the loss of 55,000 jobs and a contraction of more than one billion dollars in the Congolese economy as the virus is contained. He called for strengthening social protection, supporting the most vulnerable groups, and maintaining basic health services in parallel with efforts to combat the epidemic.