British actor Orlando Bloom has put his life on the line by visiting an area ravaged by the Ebola virus in Liberia.

The Lord of the Rings star, who is an Ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), donned a full-body protection suit and facemask to meet with patients at a Rapid Response Centre in the Jene Wonde Township.

During his four-day visit, Bloom also met with volunteers working to help those affected by Ebola and visited a school to see how children are taught safety protocols to stop the spread of the disease.

Bloom, who concluded the visit on Monday (23Mar15), says in a statement posted on the UNICEF website, "Everyone I met was determined to beat Ebola so that they can resume their normal lives... Communities have been at the centre of the fight against Ebola and must continue to be supported... Because of this outbreak, a million children in Liberia have had their school year cut in half. They're excited to be back in the classroom but the precautions every single one of them must follow every day are a reminder of the need to remain vigilant."

Photographs uploaded to Bloom's official Facebook.com page show him in his protective bodysuit, while other snaps show him reading to kids in the school and meeting a man who lost his wife and four children to the virus.

Bloom is believed to be the first high-profile celebrity to brave the Ebola outbreak by travelling to a known hotspot.