In late October 2014, the United Kingdom sent a

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. ...

, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's ''

Argus Argus is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek word ''Argos''. It may refer to: Greek mythology * See Argus (Greek myth) for mythological characters named Argus **Argus (king of Argos), son of Zeus (or Phoroneus) and Niobe **Argus (son of Ar ...

'', to help the aid effort against the

Ebola virus disease 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 ...

epidemic in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

. By late October Sierra Leone was experiencing more than twenty deaths a day from Ebola. The aid supplies delivered included 20 vehicles including ambulances; 75 water tanks; 3 incinerators for disposing of clothing and other materials; 12 generators; personal protection equipment; radio equipment; lighting sets; chlorine for sanitation; latrine slabs; temporary warehouse tents; 14 air conditioning units and isolator equipment. More than 160

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

(NHS) staff volunteered to travel to west Africa and help those affected by Ebola. On 22 November over 30 NHS volunteers flew over to Freetown, Sierra Leone to assist with the Ebola epidemic.

Kerry Town treatment centre

The Kerry Town (Sierra Leone) treatment centre was the first of six Ebola treatment centres funded 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 ...

. The centre is run by

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

, and opened on 5 November 2014. The centre provides treatment beds for 80 general patients, and 12 health care workers, with plans for an additional 8 health care beds.

References

West African Ebola virus epidemic 2014 in Sierra Leone 2014 in the United Kingdom Sierra Leone–United Kingdom relations {{Africa-hist-stub

Kerry Town treatment centre

See also

References