UN delivers emergency food rations to fight Ebola in Sierra Leone

The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered emergency food rations to 265,000 people, many of them quarantined in Sierra Leone, to help fight the spread of Ebola.

Food supplies are being distributed in the Waterloo district about 32km east of the capital, Freetown.

Waterloo has seen some of the highest cases of Ebola infections and the deliveries are to help quarantined families by providing them enough to eat so they do not leave their homes to look for food. The deliveries began on Friday, said WFP official Alexis Masciarelli.

Waterloo resident Christopher James, who collected food for his family at one of the 60 distribution sites, said: "Ever since the Ebola outbreak in our area, our kids were not having proper meals in a day.

"We've have food constraints for the past two months and this will help us to continue to live through this Ebola crisis."

For the food distribution in Sierra Leone, WFP mobilised 700 aid workers to hand out more than 800 tonnes of food - rice and cereal - to meet families' food needs for 30 days. The distribution is in partnership with Caritas, Community Integrated Development Organisation, civil society organisations and young volunteers.