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UN official: Ebola outbreak will push 1 million more people into poverty in DRC
Damien Mama, the UN Development Programme's resident representative in the DRC, said the Ebola outbreak will push around 1 million more people below the poverty line in a country where 6 out of 10 people are already poor. The outbreak is expected to cost Africa $3.6 billion and threaten over 300,000 jobs.
Damien Mama, the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) resident representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), said the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the country could push 1 million more people into poverty, where 6 out of every 10 people already live below the poverty line.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing at the UN Office in Geneva, Mama stressed that the outbreak is not just a health crisis but will also have devastating economic consequences.
Noting that more than 1,400 confirmed Ebola cases have been identified in the DRC and Uganda as of this week, with over 350 deaths, Mama said the outbreak would create a wave of poverty that goes beyond its direct effects.
Drawing attention to the fact that more than 90 percent of confirmed cases are concentrated in Ituri province, a major trading hub, Mama said, "Latest analyses show that in a country like the DRC, where six out of ten people live below the poverty line, the outbreak will push approximately 1 million more people into poverty."
Mama stated that the outbreak could cost Africa up to $3.6 billion and threaten more than 300,000 jobs. Even if the outbreak is brought under control, the DRC could lose more than $1 billion in revenue and 55,000 jobs, potentially reducing the continent's gross domestic product by $2.37 billion, he said.
Pointing out that people have lost their jobs due to the pandemic, markets have slowed, and families are on the brink, Mama assessed, "In desperate situations, families are forced to violate isolation measures. That is why medical intervention alone is not enough."
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