This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29542129
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Ebola outbreak: UK sending 750 troops to Sierra Leone | Ebola outbreak: UK sending 750 troops to Sierra Leone |
(35 minutes later) | |
The UK is sending 750 military personnel to Sierra Leone to help deal with the deadly Ebola outbreak, the Ministry of Defence has said. | The UK is sending 750 military personnel to Sierra Leone to help deal with the deadly Ebola outbreak, the Ministry of Defence has said. |
They will help build a treatment facility in the West African country. | They will help build a treatment facility in the West African country. |
The BBC understands the UK will also send a medical ship, the RFA Argus, and three Merlin helicopters. | |
More than 3,400 people have died during the current Ebola outbreak, nearly all of them in West Africa. In Sierra Leone the death toll is at least 678. | More than 3,400 people have died during the current Ebola outbreak, nearly all of them in West Africa. In Sierra Leone the death toll is at least 678. |
Save the Children has reported the rate of infection is rapidly increasing in Sierra Leone, with five new cases every hour. | |
There is no cure or vaccine for Ebola, which has so far infected more than 7,200 people. | |
Britain 'worried' | |
The usual role of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Argus is to serve as a casualty receiving ship and the vessel is equipped 100-bed medical complex. | |
The Merlin helicopters will be based off the coast and will help to move UK forces. | |
Forty British military engineers have already travelled to Sierra Leone to make sure the facilities can be set up, and they will be joined by logisticians and medics. | |
BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said 100 troops had been due to travel to the country next week but they will now be joined by hundreds more. | |
"It shows Britain is clearly worried about this and is ramping up its efforts in the same way the US has done," said our correspondent. | |
The deployment emerged following a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee chaired by the prime minister. | |
Downing Street said it was part of an "ongoing series" of meetings to co-ordinate the UK response. | |
US screening begins | |
Meanwhile, the US Department of Homeland Security has ordered agents at airports and other ports to "observe" arrivals for potential signs of Ebola. | |
Passengers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea will have their temperatures taken and have to answer questions, according to Reuters news agency. | |
But Public Health England has reiterated there are no plans to introduce screening for those arriving in the UK. | |
Further details are also emerging about the case of a Spanish nurse infected with Ebola - the first person known to have contracted the virus outside West Africa. | |
A doctor in Madrid has said Teresa Romero remembers touching her face with her gloves after treating a dying priest. | A doctor in Madrid has said Teresa Romero remembers touching her face with her gloves after treating a dying priest. |
A World Health Organization adviser earlier warned that more cases could be expected among medical staff, even in developed countries. | A World Health Organization adviser earlier warned that more cases could be expected among medical staff, even in developed countries. |