The regional impact of West Africa’s Ebola epidemic could reach $32.6 billion by the end of 2015 if it spreads significantly beyond the worst-hit countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the World Bank said on Wednesday.
“The enormous economic cost of the current outbreak to the affected countries and the world could have been avoided by prudent ongoing investment in health systems-strengthening,” World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement.
Meanwhile, travelers arriving in the United Stated from Ebola-stricken Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea will face mandatory screening measures for the deadly virus as soon as this weekend, according to a media report on Wednesday.
The additional screening could also be extended to passengers from other nations struggling with the outbreak, CNN reported, citing the U.S. government.
Countries in West Africa, where the deadly Ebola outbreak is centered, are already supposed to screen passengers before they are allowed to depart. But, under the new measures, such travelers will also have to answer questions and have their temperature taken with a hand-held scanner once they arrive in the United States, CNN said.
(Reuters)
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World Bank forecasts financial impact of Ebola, as U.S to screen for Ebola at airports |
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