Poverty is the root cause of Ebola’s rampancy in Africa. The international community must provide emergency aid, says an article in the People’s Daily. Excerpt:

The first death from the virus in the United States occurred on Wednesday The first confirmed case in Europe appeared in Spain. The situation in West Africa is much more worrisome.

In one single day on Oct 4, Ebola killed 121 people in Sierra Leone. According to the World Health Organization, more than 8,000 people are infected. By early November, more than 20,000 people in West Africa may be confirmed as infected or probably infected. The longer the epidemic lasts, the more difficult it is to control.   

The international community cannot afford to wait any longer to help the least developed African countries. Ebola poses a threat to poor people in poor countries. It is unlikely to become a huge threat in developed countries. The lack of medical resources and money in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone seriously limits local governments’ ability to deal with the disease.

The World Bank has indicated that if Ebola cannot be controlled it will cost countries in West Africa $32.6 billion in economic losses.    

For humanitarianism, or world stability, the international community needs to help backward regions overcome the “poverty trap”; a concept referring to the phenomenon that poverty leads to further poverty.

The World Trade Organization changed its latest prediction of global trade growth on Sept 23, pointing out that Ebola is a new risk for the world economy and may affect it in the second half of this year.

Human history of fighting epidemic diseases proves that fear of a disease is more frightening than the disease itself. When poor countries need help most, they are increasingly excluded from the outside world through quarantine measures.

It is important for the United Nations to call on the international community to provide emergency aid.