Food assistance reaches over 430,000 Ebola affected: UN

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Friday said it has provided food assistance to more than 430,000 people affected by the Ebola crisis in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Under the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, WFP said it is ramping up its contribution to the humanitarian effort, Xinhua reported.

"We're delivering food, logistic support, planes, helicopters, ships and building treatment centers," Denise Brown, WFP's regional director for West Africa, said in a statement.

WFP has so far dispatched 224 metric tonnes, worth $1.9 million, of protective gear, emergency health kits and equipment to the region.

Meanwhile, WFP is providing logistics support to help medical services to treat and prevent the spread of the virus.

According to the World Health Organization, the total number of people hit by Ebola virus disease in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal has reached 7,178, including 3,338 deaths.