The zika A. America will cost US $ 4 billion this year: World B. – ElTiempo.com

The World Bank (WB) said that the epidemic of zika l e cost this year to Latin America and the Caribbean nearly 4,000 million , including loss of income and the impact prosecutor, estimated at 0.07 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the region.

the organization announced the immediately available to 150 million dollars for the anti-virus zika , whose infection has been linked to increased cases of microcephaly among newborns in Brazil and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

in a study on the short-term impact of the epidemic, the World Bank concluded that Mexico and Cuba, two of the countries that receive more tourists in the region, will also be the most impacted by the zika.

” the nations whose economies depend significantly on tourism could suffer significant loss of income “, the report said. According to World Bank, Mexico will lose 744 million dollars of which 80 million will be added in tax revenue, while Cuba will cease to enter 664 million.

The impact of loss income calculated in Dominican Republic will be 318 million, 310 million in Brazil and Argentina 229 million dollars. In relation to GDP, the most affected country is Belize, which lost 1.22 percent of its GDP in revenue, while the estimate for Cuba is 0.86 percent of GDP.

in its report also “some island states” could lose revenues account for up to 1.6 percent of GDP, noting that for most of the nations affected, the fiscal impact could be around 0.3 percent of GDP. In that vein, he urged the countries concerned to control as quickly as possible the spread of the virus.

“Act now and quickly to control the spread of the disease would entail marginal costs but could provide big returns to help prevent much greater economic impact in the medium term, “said the study.

the World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement that analysis of the institution “underlines the importance of urgent action to stop the spread of the virus zika and to protect the welfare of the peoples of the countries concerned.”

the World Bank also warned that if confirmed the link between sexually transmitted virus zika and Guillain-Barre syndrome, “the impact could be much higher and will need to be assessed again”. (See also: Van over 31,000 cases in the country zika)

WASHINGTON (EFE)