{{The World Bank on Monday announced up to $200 million in emergency assistance to help Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea contain the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, which has killed hundreds in West Africa.}}<\/p>\n
The funding will also help those countries improve their public health systems and cope with the epidemic’s economic impact, the Washington-based lender said in a statement. The countries’ resources and health systems have been strained by the worst outbreak of the virus since its discovery four decades ago.<\/p>\n
Guinea’s economic growth could fall a full percentage point to 3.5 percent due to the epidemic, according to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s initial assessment.<\/p>\n
“I have been monitoring (Ebola’s) deadly impact around the clock and am deeply saddened at how it has ravaged health workers, families and communities, disrupted normal life, and has led to a breakdown of already weak health systems in the three countries,” World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Reuters reported earlier on Monday that the World Bank and African Development Bank were among international institutions preparing funding packages to help countries deal with the crisis.<\/p>\n
The World Bank said its money would go toward medical supplies, salaries for medical staff, and to help communities dealing with the financial hardship left by the virus.<\/p>\n
Rural workers in the three countries hit with Ebola have fled affected areas, hitting agricultural production, though the food supply has not been affected for now, the bank said.<\/p>\n
The epidemic has also slowed cross-border commerce and has grounded flights across the region, leading to lower revenues and financial inflows.<\/p>\n
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