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Ebola having ‘acute’ impact on W’African economies – IMF

By BusinessNews Staff on August 30, 2014

The worst ever outbreak of the Ebola disease is likely to lead to “sharply” lower growth in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and raise financing needs in all three West African countries, an International Monetary Fund spokesman, Mr. Gerry Rice, has said.

At least 1,500 people have died of the deadly hemorrhagic virus since it was detected in the remote jungles of southeast Guinea in March and spread quickly to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone. Five people have also died in Nigeria.

“The Ebola outbreak is having an acute macroeconomic and social impact on three already fragile countries in West Africa,” Rice told reporters on Thursday.

“We are actively working with all three countries to prepare a preliminary economic assessment of the impact of the Ebola crisis, and additional financing support that may be required,” he added according to Reuters.

[Punch]

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