The United Nations said on Tuesday that an Ebola outbreak could ​cost Africa up to $3.6 billion and hundreds of ‌thousands of jobs, potentially causing a development crisis.

The outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no tested ​vaccine or treatment, has infected 1,307 people and ​killed 377 in the Democratic Republic of Congo ⁠since being declared on May 15, the government says.

A ​much smaller number of cases have been reported in ​Uganda, and experts warn of the possibility of it spreading to other neighbours, such as South Sudan.

"If we have the resources ​and we step up, we can contain this outbreak ​and prevent further losses," said Damien Mama, United Nations Development Programme resident representative ‌in Congo.

"If we do not, this health emergency risks becoming a much deeper and prolonged development crisis across the region and potentially the continent."

The UNDP outlined three ​scenarios for the ​outbreak. In the best-case scenario, where the epidemic remains contained in the two countries, the cost to Congo's GDP is $ 1 billion, the report said.

In ⁠the worst-case scenario, the disease spreads to countries including Rwanda and Angola and coincides with higher fuel costs linked ⁠to ​the Iran crisis, cutting continental GDP ​by $3.6 billion and resulting in 328,000 job losses, the report said.