Ebola: World Bank downscales economic impact on Sub-Saharan Africa to $3-4 billion

The World Bank now expects the impact of the Ebola epidemic on Sub-Saharan Africa's economy to be around $3-4 billion, well below a previously outlined worst-case scenario of $32 billion, the bank's chief economist for the continent said on Wednesday. "The risk of the highest case of economic impact of Ebola has been reduced because of the success of containment in some countries. It has not gone to zero because a great level of preparedness and focus is still needed," Francisco Ferreira said in Johannesburg, answering questions at a lecture.

In a report in October on the possible economic impact of the Ebola epidemic, the World Bank had said that if the virus spread significantly outside the epicentre states of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, this could potentially cost Africa tens of billions of dollars in disrupted cross-border trade, supply chains and tourism.

The bank had said a scaled-up global response was needed to prevent this worst case scenario, and since then the United Nations has led international efforts to send more medical personnel to the Ebola zone and increase funding to fight the worst recorded outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic virus. The latest WHO Ebola tally on November 14 reported 5,177 deaths out of 14,133 cases, mostly in the three worst-hit countries.