The World Bank wants to ensure that delays in funding containment and treatment for areas experiencing deadly outbreaks are avoided in future , to avoid similarly slow responses as those following West Africa 's Ebola outbreak . If the world experiences a massive epidemic on the scale like the 1918 Spanish flu that infected 500 million people, the response would easily get into the trillions of dollars, or some five percent of global GDP. The bank launched a new insurance scheme earlier this week that has raised more than $ 425 m for the Global Emergency Financing Facility . The facility is a pooled fund that is rechargeable and provides financial help to countries suffering from disease outbreaks . Investors expect to make a profit provided there are no outbreaks , or out if a pandemic does occur .
The World Bank wants to ensure that delays in funding containment and treatment for areas experiencing deadly outbreaks are avoided in future , to avoid similarly slow responses as those following West Africa 's Ebola outbreak . The bank launched a new insurance scheme earlier this week that has raised more than $ 425 m for the Global Emergency Financing Facility . The facility is a pooled fund that is rechargeable and provides financial help to countries suffering from disease outbreaks . Investors expect to make a profit provided there are no outbreaks , or out if a pandemic does occur .