Ministers Visit British Troops Combating Ebola in Sierra Leone

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and Armed Forces minister Mark Francois met British military personnel, diplomats and health and aid workers who are part of Britain's contribution to action to bring the spread of Ebola under control in Sierra Leone.

In Porto Loko the UK is building one of the additional five 100-bed treatment centres that will help meet its commitment to provide 700 treatment beds in Sierra Leone. The new facility is due to open in December.

Mr Hammond visited the Ebola Training Academy at the National Stadium where he met Sierra Leonean Ebola workers. The WHO is training over 800 people each week at the academy, with support from British Armed Forces personnel.

At the Western Area Command and Control Centre, which is located in the British Council, the Foreign Secretary was briefed on the co-ordination of burial teams, and efforts to ensure that new cases are isolated more quickly.

Mr Francois visited members of military medics from 22 Field Hospital who are staffing the 12-bed facility at the Kerry Town Treatment Centre, which will be used to treat international healthcare workers.

He also met Royal Engineers who are designing and supervising construction of all the Ebola treatment units. He said: "I am proud of the vital contribution our Armed Forces are making on the front-line of the fight against Ebola in West Africa.

Having visited medics from 22 Field Hospital in training in the UK - and having told them I would visit them once they had deployed - I am proud to now see them on operations in Sierra Leone.

And I have seen for myself the wider work being done by personnel from all services as the UK leads the global effort to get this outbreak under control and prevent it spreading any further."