Ebola Fight Needs $430 Million to End Outbreak, WHO Says

More than $430 million will be needed to bring the worst Ebola outbreak on record under control, according to a draft document laying out the World Health Organization’s battle strategy.

The plan sets a goal of reversing the trend in new cases within two months, and stopping all transmission in six to nine months. It requires funding by governments, development banks, the private sector and in-kind contributions.

The current outbreak, which has killed 1,427 people in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, may soon exceed all previous Ebola outbreaks combined. The sum now being sought is six times more than the $71 million the WHO suggested was needed in a plan published less than a month ago.

“At a global level, $430 million for something this serious should not be an insurmountable goal,” said J. Stephen Morrison, director of the global health policy center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “This is all a reflection of the fact that we’ve never been here before.”

businessweek