GENEVA, November 7 (RIA Novosti) — The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has sent more than 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Ebola-hit countries, UNICEF spokesperson Christophe Boulierac said Friday.
From August 1 to November 4, about 3,280 tons of humanitarian aid, including tents, food, medications, personal hygiene products, beds and transportation worth $14.8 million were delivered, Boulierac said at a briefing.
The Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of those infected. Although there is no officially approved medication for the disease, several countries are working on developing Ebola vaccines.
The current Ebola outbreak began in Guinea in February and has spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal, however, Senegal and Nigeria have recently been declared free of Ebola by the World Health Organization (WHO). Several cases of the disease have also been registered outside West Africa.
According to the latest WHO estimates, there have been more than 13,000 reported Ebola cases, with more than 4,800 people having been killed by the virus. The majority of lethal cases have been concentrated in three West African countries: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
