Ebola puts future development of Liberia, Sierra Leone at high risk: World Bank

UNITED NATIONS: Two new World Bank Group reports issued Monday showed that the socio-economic impacts of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia and Sierra Leone are far-reaching and persistent, saying that the deadly epidemic put the future prosperity of the two West African countries at high risk.

"In Liberia, the economy continues to shed jobs faster than they are replaced, with nearly half of Liberian household heads remaining out of work," Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here, quoting messages from the reports. "Women are particularly vulnerable as the labor market stagnates and there are new concerns about the farmers' ability to organize work teams given Ebola fears."