MOSCOW, December 17 (Sputnik) — The number of residents of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone who experience food insecurity is expected to reach 1 million by March 2015 due to the negative impact of the Ebola outbreak on these states' overall economic performance, a joint report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Program (WFP) release Wednesday said.
According to FAO and WFP, the food shortages in the three West African countries occurred predominantly due to border closures, quarantine measures and loss of crops amid the Ebola virus outbreak.
Both agencies called for action to re-establish the number of farming households in these West African countries as an essential measure to combat hunger.
On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the death toll from the Ebola virus has surpassed 6,840, with 18,464 confirmed, probable and suspected cases registered in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
