The Ebola Medal for Service in West Africa, known simply as the Ebola Medal, is a service medal for issue to the Armed Forces and to civilians, working either for Her Majesty's Government or for non-governmental organisations, in support of the British Government's response to the

Ebola crisis The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease, centered in West Africa, Western Africa, was the most widespread List of Ebola outbreaks, outbreak of the disease in history. It caused major loss of life and Socioeconomics, socioeconomic disr ...

in West Africa between March 2014 and March 2016. The medal is the first to be awarded by the UK Government for a humanitarian crisis response.

Description

The medal was manufactured by

Worcestershire Medal Service Worcestershire Medal Service, Ltd., established in 1988, is a manufacturer of State honours and insignia. Established in 1988, they were granted a Royal Warrant as Medallists to Elizabeth II in 2008. Working with the Ministry of Defence to assist ...

. *It is a circular, nickel-silver medal, 36mm diameter. It is suspended from a ribbon by way of a swivel straight bar. *The obverse, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, has the legend "ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID.DEF." and the effigy of Elizabeth II wearing the

Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara Queen Elizabeth II owned a historic collection of jewels – some as monarch and others as a private individual. They are separate from the gems and jewels of the Royal Collection, and from the coronation and state regalia that make up ...

. *The reverse is a design by John Bergdahl, and features a flame on a background depicting the Ebola virus – above this are the words “For Service” and below “West Africa Ebola Epidemic”. The name of the recipient (name and title if civilian; name, rank and

serial number A serial number is a unique identifier assigned incrementally or sequentially to an item, to ''uniquely'' identify it. Serial numbers need not be strictly numerical. They may contain letters and other typographical symbols, or may consist enti ...

if military) is engraved on the rim of the medal.

Ribbon

The ribbon consists of a thin central yellow stripe, flanked by blue and white stripes, and symmetrical red stripes flanked by green stripes either side. These represent the colours from the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

s of the countries in West Africa affected by

Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...

Order of Wear

The medal is worn immediately after the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service.

Qualifying

The qualifying period for award of the medal is from 23 March 2014 until 29 March 2016. The medal is awarded either for 21 days of continuous service within the operating area, or 30 days accumulated service on working visits of 48 hours or more to the operating area. In the event of qualifying service ending prematurely due to death, serious illness, evacuation or disability due to service, where the individual had otherwise been expected to complete their service, the reduced service length will be deemed as qualification for the award. As of 13 November 2015, 2,448 medals were issued. The following groups are eligible for award: *Military personnel under the command of Commander, Joint Operations, and other members of

UK Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, su ...

providing direct support to HM Government's response. *Any volunteer or employee directly deployed by the

Department for International Development , type = Department , logo = DfID.svg , logo_width = 180px , logo_caption = , picture = File:Admiralty Screen (411824276).jpg , picture_width = 180px , picture_caption = Department for International Development (London office) (far right ...

(DFID), UK-Med, Public Health England, the National Health Service or the

Stabilisation Unit The Stabilisation Unit is a cross-government unit of the UK government, governed through the National Security Council. It aims to support fragile states and countries emerging from conflict, where close cooperation between international agencies, ...

in support of HM Government's response. *Any member of

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

. *Any UK national employed by an NGO funded by the DFID supporting HM Government's response. *Any UK national responding to the Ebola crisis in support of HM Government's response whose service can be verified. The operating area is classified as the territory and/or territorial waters of Sierra Leone,

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

and

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

; these three countries were defined by the World Health Organization as having had "widespread and intense transmission" of the Ebola virus.

Description

Ribbon

Order of Wear

Qualifying

References

See also