Over 1,000 people have died in the latest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, according to data from the DRC health ministry cited by the US Centres for Disease Control.
Of the 1,035 deaths recorded, 1,033 were confirmed in DRC, with the remaining two in Uganda. The DRC accounts for 2,536 confirmed cases out of a total of 2,557.
Uganda has 20 confirmed cases, with one registered in France, according to the countries’ health ministries cited by US CDC.
Lacking a vaccine, the outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus poses a severe threat. In May, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the death rate in the DRC is between 30% and 50%.
This fact, coupled with its rapid spread, prompted the health ministry of the DRC to formally declare an outbreak on May 15th. Just two days later, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus proclaimed the crisis a matter of international concern.
Mounting financial needs
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on 25 June that $1.4bn is urgently needed for its plan with the WHO to tackle the spread of the disease, a large increase on the $518m that it earlier said would be required.
Director-general Jean Kaseya of the African CDC noted that only 13% of the $910m in funding pledges had been released as of late June, emphasising the importance of the full allotment in aiding humanitarian efforts.
In an effort to enhance national emergency responses, reduce mortality, and hinder the spread of the virus in the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan and beyond, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) this week approved the disbursement of a $13m grant.
$10m will be sourced from the Bank Group’s DRC portfolio and channeled through the WHO. $3m – sourced from its Multi-Country Emergency Assistance Project – will be implemented by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The DRC will receive $11m of the total funding, and Uganda and South Sudan $1m each. The funds are intended to bolster early case diagnosis, epidemiological surveillance, public awareness, communal engagement, and regional co-ordination.
“This emergency support reflects the African Development Bank Group’s commitment to supporting the Democratic Republic of Congo [and] its neighbours in protecting human lives, strengthening the resilience of health systems and preventing the spread of the epidemic,” said Mohamed Cherif, deputy director general for Central Africa and DRC country manager at the African Development Bank Group.
Financial impact of Ebola outbreak
Like with any outbreak, effects are not isolated. The spread of the disease beyond its epicentre of Ituri Province to other provinces of the DRC such as North and South Kivu – and beyond the nation’s borders – is projected to have devastating economic consequences.
According to an assessment by the United Nations’ Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Africa, a potential $1bn in GDP and 55,000 jobs could be lost in the DRC under a contained Ebola outbreak scenario, pushing an additional 985,000 people into poverty.
Should there be a greater regional impact – in which transmission is successfully contained but regional economic spillovers nevertheless emerge – the UNDP notes that total continental GDP could drop by $2.73bn, and formal employment see a loss of approximately 90,000 jobs.
Under this scenario, countries that could see a GDP reduction include Angola (-0.51% or about $440m) followed by Rwanda (-0.47%), South Sudan (-0.45%), and Zambia (-0.41%).