Agence France-Presse: African leaders urge Ebola ‘Marshall Plan’
“Leaders of the West African countries worst hit by Ebola urged the world on Tuesday to back a ‘Marshall Plan’ to help them stamp out the disease and rebuild their shattered economies. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma, and Guinean President Alpha Conde pressed the need for recovery at an international conference in Brussels as the number of new cases slows…” (Carmichael, 3/3).

Associated Press: Liberia calls for Ebola ‘Marshall Plan’ to rebuild economies
“…Sirleaf told fellow regional leaders and delegates at an international conference on Ebola in Brussels that restoring economic growth in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone is a long-term and costly task…” (Cook, 3/3).

The Guardian: Ebola death toll in West Africa ‘could be much higher than initial estimates’
“Regional and world leaders have called on the international community to scale up their efforts to rebuild the nations devastated by Ebola amid fears the death toll from the outbreak could be even higher than previously thought. Although the epidemic, which has ravaged Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, appears to be drawing to a close, the secretary general of the Red Cross warned that the true number of victims could be substantially greater than official estimates…” (Neslen, 3/3).

IRIN: Ebola: Liberia’s long road to recovery
“Liberia has lifted nationwide curfews and reopened its land borders with key trading partners Sierra Leone and Guinea, but a full recovery from the economic impact of the Ebola outbreak will take time, experts say…” (3/4).

Reuters: Ebola-hit countries seek help to repair their economies
“…The World Bank has estimated the epidemic will cost the three countries at least $1.6 billion in lost economic growth this year, or more than 12 percent of their combined output. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said the three countries believed a regional approach to recovery was best…” (Croft, 3/3).

U.N. News Centre: Ebola: U.N. tells Brussels meeting world must ‘stay on course’ to get to, remain at zero cases
“…[The U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Ebola David Nabarro], as well as World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, both emphasized the need to build trust with communities to eradicate the disease, which has affected nearly 24,000 people with more than 9,714 deaths. … [Nabarro] said that a gap of around $900 million remained to fund the response in the next six months, with $400 million urgently needed for critically important activities to get to zero cases…” (3/3).

U.N. News Centre: ‘We face a critical turning point’ — U.N. chief says at Headquarters Ebola concert
“The international community is now faced with ‘a critical turning point’ in defeating Ebola, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at a United Nations Headquarters event last night, as he urged support to the affected countries to build back stronger…” (3/3).

VOA News: W. African Nations Hit by Ebola Seek More Aid From E.U.
“…The international community has pledged nearly $5 billion to fight Ebola. Roughly half of that has been disbursed. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank will host another conference in April to assess whether more financing is need to tackle the outbreak…” (Bryant/Muchler, 3/3).

Wall Street Journal: African Nations Say Tide Has Turned Against Ebola
“…Tuesday’s meeting attracted about 600 delegates from countries including China, Cuba and the U.S. The U.S. has provided about $1 billion to fight Ebola — focusing on Liberia, with which it has historic ties. The United Nations also has played a major role…” (Bendavid, 3/3).