{"id":76519,"date":"2014-12-22T12:35:18","date_gmt":"2014-12-22T12:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=76519"},"modified":"2014-12-22T12:35:18","modified_gmt":"2014-12-22T12:35:18","slug":"imf-blamed-ebola-spread-west-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/12\/imf-blamed-ebola-spread-west-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"IMF blamed for Ebola spread in West Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been blamed for the rapid spread of the Ebola virus in three West African countries.<\/p>\n
According to UK-based researchers, the IMF\u2019s imposition of spending cuts on the affected countries led to “under-funded, insufficiently staffed, and poorly prepared health systems” in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.<\/p>\n
The BBC reports that the IMF has denied the allegation.<\/p>\n
An IMF spokesperson is quoted by the AFP news agency as saying, “such claims are based on a misunderstanding, and, in some cases, a misrepresentation, of IMF policies.”<\/p>\n
A Cambridge University sociologist and lead study author, Alexander Kentikelenis is quoted by the BBC as saying, \u201ca major reason why the Ebola outbreak spread so rapidly was the weakness of healthcare systems in the region, and it would be unfortunate if underlying causes were overlooked.”<\/p>\n