World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said that the inadequate response to the Ebola crisis is causing unnecessary deaths of thousands of people.
In an editorial published by the Washington Post, Kim noted that healthcare facilities of wealthier countries would have been effective in containing the disease, as compared to measly health centers in African nations. In the same article, he called upon Western nations to start sharing resources and knowledge in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
"The crisis we are watching unfold derives less from the virus itself and more from deadly and misinformed biases that have led to a disastrously inadequate response to the outbreak," Kim wrote.
Since the outbreak started, Ebola has claimed 1,500 lives in West Africa alone. This is the highest number of recorded casualties since the virus was discovered in 1976. In Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, 3,000 people have been infected.
The problem with the virus is worsened by the poor health facilities in these countries. Before the outbreak, Liberia only had 50 doctors for their 4.3 million people. When the outbreak began, many medical workers died due to the virus.
Because many airlines suspended their flights to the region, West Africa is experiencing a shortage of food, medical kits and basic goods. Neighboring countries have shut their borders and international organizations have sent their staff home, according to Reuters.
"Many are dying needlessly," Kim wrote.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), casualty records may be four times higher than the documented numbers and are expected to increase to up to 20,000 people. The organization has allocated $490 million to halt the spread of the disease.
An experimental vaccine, which might be the cure for the virus, has also showed progress when it recently tested 100 percent effective on monkeys who acquired the virus five days prior to treatment.
