Cost of the Ebola Epidemic

The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa has ended. Visit the Ebola Outbreak section for information on current Ebola outbreaks.

As of February 28, 2016, there were 28,639 suspected, probable, and confirmed cases of Ebola and 11,316 deaths from Ebola during the 2014 epidemic in West Africa.¹ In comparison, there were 2,427 reported cases and 1,597 deaths in all other known cases and outbreaks of Ebola combined.²

Impact of Ebola on the Economy

Aside from the devastating health effects, the Ebola epidemic also had a pronounced socio-economic impact in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

According to 2014 projections from the World Bank³, an estimated $2.2 billion was lost in 2015 in the gross domestic product (GDP)⁴ of the three countries.

The outbreak resulted in lower investment and a substantial loss in—

• Private sector growth
• Agricultural production leading to concerns about food security
• Cross-border trade as restrictions on movement, goods, and services increased^5,6,7

Impact of Ebola on the Healthcare System

Healthcare workers caring for patients with Ebola were among those at highest risk for contracting the disease.

From the start of the outbreak through November 2015, a total of 881 confirmed health worker infections and 513 deaths⁸ were reported in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

• Liberia lost 8% of its doctors, nurses, and midwives to Ebola
• Sierra Leone and Guinea lost 7% and 1% of their healthcare workers, respectively.⁹

Indirect Impact of Ebola on Health Care

In addition to the devastating effects on the healthcare workforce in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the Ebola epidemic severely impacted the provision of healthcare services and caused setbacks in the treatment and control of other serious diseases, including:

• HIV
• Tuberculosis
• Malaria

Assuming healthcare services were reduced by 50% in the three most affected countries,¹⁰ an estimated additional 10, 600 lives were lost to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria during the epidemic.

Impact of Ebola on Children

Children were greatly affected by the Ebola epidemic.

• Nearly 20% of all Ebola cases occurred in children under 15 years old.
• Recovery plans from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone estimate that more than 17,300 children have been orphaned because of Ebola.^11,12,13

In June 2014, all schools in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone closed because of the epidemic.

By the time the schools reopened in 2015, students had lost approximately 1,848 hours of education due to school closures—

• Ranging from around 33 weeks in Guinea to 39 weeks in Sierra Leone.¹⁴

Children also experienced a gap in vaccination schedules as routine immunizations decreased by 30%. Vaccination campaigns were either postponed to avoid public gatherings or funding and logistics previously dedicated to these campaigns were redirected to fight the epidemic.

Cost of the Response

The United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany were the top donors to the international Ebola response, donating more than $3.611 billion (USD) by December 2015.¹⁶

The U.S. government allocated approximately $2.369 billion for Ebola response activities that included technical expertise, resources to the response and new emergency operations center in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Impact of the Response on Travel

To prevent Ebola from crossing borders, travelers leaving West Africa were screened at airports. Exit screening helped to identify those at risk for Ebola and prevent disease transmission to other countries.

• More than 339,000 people were screened before leaving Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.¹⁷

The United States also implemented enhanced entry screening for travelers coming from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Mali by routing them to designated airports that were able to assess travelers for risk.

• More than 38,000 travelers entering the United States were screened for Ebola.¹⁷

Impact of the Response on the Healthcare System

• CDC trained 24,655 healthcare workers in West Africa on infection prevention and control practices.¹⁸
• Over 160 clinical webinars and conference calls were held with professional organization members in the United States
• More than 6,500 people were trained in live training events throughout the response.¹⁹
• Laboratory capacity was expanded in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, with 24 laboratories capable of testing for Ebola by the end of 2015.²⁰