IMF says Ebola will savage West African economies

The Ebola epidemic could slice more than three percentage points off economic growth in the worst-hit countries of West Africa, requiring hundreds of millions of dollars in financial aid, the IMF said Thursday. "Beyond the human toll, Ebola looks set to cause significant harm to the economy of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone," said International Monetary Fund spokesman Bill Murray.
Growth could fall by 3.5 percentage points in Sierra Leone and Liberia, both of which were expanding quickly, at 11.3 percent and 5.9 percent respectively, prior to the outbreak in March near where their borders meet.