(VOVworld) -  Since the first Ebola case was identified in Guinea in March, the epidemic has killed over 4,000 people in several countries. The rapid spread of the epidemic, for which there is neither vaccine nor effective treatment, has made Ebola the worst epidemic in recent decades. Although the international community has made efforts to prevent its spread, there are signs it may be getting out of control.

Medical workers in Ho Chi Minh city exercise to prevent and respond to Ebola

Ebola spreads from person to person through direct contact with body fluids. In March the first case was identified in Guinea. Since then other West African countries including Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria have reported cases. Liberia is considered “ground zero” of Ebola, with more than half of the fatalities. Ebola has appeared in Spain, the UK, and the US. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 20,000 will be infected with the deadly Ebola virus by November and 90% of them will die.

Ebola affects people of all social strata

UN Vice Secretary General Jan Eliasson says Ebola has reversed socio-economic development achievements and no individual country or organization can resolve the problem unilaterally.

The World Bank estimates that Ebola’s cost to West Africa’s economy could top 32 billion USD in the next 2 years. The government of Sierra Leone said if Ebola continues to spread at the current rate, it will cost Sierra Leone 8.9% of its GDP in 2015. Ebola’s impact on Sierra Leone’s economy has been a budget deficit and investment funds leaving the country. The International Monetary Fund has reduced Liberia’s GDP growth estimate this year from 5.9% to 2.5%.

Trade was affected when the Ivory Coast and Senegal closed their borders to prevent the spread of Ebola. The prices of some essential goods in Ebola-infected countries have increased 10 to 15%.

Concerned about Ebola, India will not hold the India-Africa summit in New Delhi in December.

Ebola has seriously hurt the labor market in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where workers have stayed home to avoid getting infected.

Now that Ebola has appeared in the US, Spain, and the UK, experts predict that its economic impact will go beyond West Africa. How to stop Ebola was one of the key topics at the IMF and WB annual meeting last week.

Global cooperation is needed to keep Ebola from spreading

Anthony Banbury, Head of the UN Mission for Ebola Response, said we’re being outpaced by the deadly virus. The UN estimates that 1 billion USD is urgently needed to cope with Ebola. President of the UN General Assembly Sam Kutesa urged countries to double their financial commitments to handling the epidemic.

Individual countries are unilaterally implementing preventive measures following the UN’s warning of worsening Ebola outbreak. The WHO has advised East Asian and Pacific countries to enhance prevention. EU health officials will meet on October 16 to discuss effective ways to deal with Ebola.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has introduced a preventive plan and conducted drills in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city. The WHO and the US Center for Disease Prevention and Control have opened an office for emergency Ebola response in Vietnam.

Besides financial commitments, several countries have pushed the research for an Ebola vaccine. Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said Russia will produce 3 types of Ebola vaccine in the next 6 months and one type is ready for clinical tests. Canada said it has begun testing Ebola vaccine VSV-EBOV on humans. Results are expected in December.