World Bank sees financial impact of Ebola at as much as $32.6 bln in Africa

The World Bank says 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.

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim stated this in a statement on Wednesday.

Kim added that 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.