The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda could have a long-lasting detrimental effects on Africa’s economies, with the DRC likely being the hardest hit, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said today in a report. 

The outbreak could lead to an additional 985,000 people living in poverty, with women experiencing the brunt of it. The report also anticipates that the impact on healthcare services could contribute to as many as 2,520 additional infant deaths unrelated to Ebola in the DRC. 

If the outbreak worsens and spreads to other countries, it could cost as much as $3.6 billion. Already, travel restrictions and quarantines—used to slow the spread of Ebola—limit people’s ability to work and spend money in the local economy. 

“Ebola does not stop at the hospital gate,” said Ahunna Eziakonwa, MIA, UN assistant secretary-general and UNDP regional director for Africa, in a UNDP press release. “It affects livelihoods, education, food, security, trade, public finances, and trust. If we treat the Ebola outbreak solely as a health challenge, we risk missing the much larger development emergency unfolding around it.” 

Even if the outbreak remains limited to the DRC and Uganda, the DRC faces steep economic consequences, with the report estimating its gross domestic product will lose more than $1 billion and 55,000 jobs. 

Clinical trials must start this week, and every day of delay costs lives we could save.

While the official outbreak was declared on May 15, it likely started earlier. So far, 1,307 people in the DRC have been sickened in the outbreak, and 377 have died, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In Uganda, there are 20 confirmed cases and two deaths. 

Yesterday, the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research shared with Agence-France-Press that an Ebola case was found in a fourth province, Haut-Uele. A patient from the Ituri province, where the outbreak is centered, had traveled to Haut-Uele. Both Ituri and Haut-Uele experience a great deal of travel, which can contribute to the virus flourishing. 

The Bundibugyo Ebola virus, which has no dedicated vaccine or treatments, fueled this current outbreak. To slow it, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) asked today for $18 million to trial new treatments and bolster contact tracing efforts, CNBC Africa reported. 

“We have the science. We now need the funding to use it,” Jean Kaseya, MD, MPH, director-general of the Africa CDC, said in the CNBC report. “Clinical trials must start this week, and every day of delay costs lives we could save.” 

The organization asked other governments, foundations, and funding agencies to donate $16 million to investigate therapies, including Gilead Science’s oral obeldesivir, which could prevent infection in people exposed to the virus. 

Scientists are also examining whether remdesivir and MBP134 from Mapp Biopharmaceuticals can improve survival rates of those infected with Bundibugyo. Projects dedicated to creating new vaccines specifically for Bundibugyo and making them have already been funded, CNBC Africa reported.