The presidents of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone are appealing for $3.2 billion to help their countries recover from the Ebola epidemic which has devastated their economies, severely damaged their social fabric and killed more than 11,000.
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This information provides important insights into the probable origin of the virus responsible for this new flare in Liberia.
How the first patient became infected, however, remains a mystery. “Now is not the time to pull back”, said the commissioner. Survivors can harbor the virus for long periods in “immune protected” sites such as the testes and eyes, and Liberia’s last case-patient before the new cluster was a woman who is thought to have contracted the virus after having sex with a male Ebola survivor. He also said suspicion that the virus came from a dead dog that some of the case-patients reportedly ate is a “red herring”. Tests on these samples have shown that the virus is genetically similar to viruses that infected many people in Margibi County more than 6 months ago, in late 2014.
“We must not let up until we end this deadly epidemic”, declared World Bank President Jim Kim, who urged ongoing efforts to help affected countries get to – and sustain zero cases.
As a follow-up to today’s event, the African Union will convene an global Conference on Africa’s Fight against Ebola later this month in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Rebuilding fragile health systems is considered a key part of helping with recovery and will be crucial for limiting the future spread of Ebola and other disease threats.
The United Nations said that the three West African countries would be seeking about $3.2 billion in financial commitments for the next two years, but Johnson-Sirleaf said the subregional plan for recovery would be closer to $4 billion.
Germany pledged 196 million euros ($220 million) and France 150 million euros.
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Growth rates in all three countries showed that economic prospects were bright before the outbreak that began in Guinea in December 2013.
