A RETIRED Army colonel who served as a medic in some of the world's worst trouble spots has praised the courage of the British Army medics who have flown out to Sierra Leone to tackle the deadly Ebola epidemic.

Dr Jonathan Leach, 54, who lives just outside Fernhill Heath, near Worcester, praised the courage and dedication of the British Army medics who were due to arrive in Sierra Leone today to help in the fight against Ebola.

A team of 91, including nurses, doctors and infectious disease consultants, will join 40 soldiers already in the west African country to work at a UK-supported treatment centre, which has 12 of its 92 beds set aside for healthcare workers who risk infection while treating others.

Their arrival comes ahead of the departure tomorrow of Royal Navy ship RFA Argus, which is due to reach the area by the end of the month with a further 225 military personnel from a total planned deployment of 750.

Dr Jonathan Leach spent 25 years in the Royal Army Medical Corps, serving in some of the most difficult trouble spots in the world, including Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Germany and Cyprus, and has worked in some of the protective suits that medics will have to wear to prevent them contracting the killer disease.

Dr Leach, who has worked as a director for the NHS in Worcestershire and is an associate medical director for NHS England, said working in the suits would be be particularly difficult in the heat of West Africa. However, he said there were clear protocols about how to receive fluids while avoiding contamination.

Dr Leach, who is trained in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence (CBRN), said: "Due credit to them - they know what they're going to. There are under no illusions. They will be doing it because they want to make a difference. I wish them well. This will be a challenging environment to work in, potentially physically and emotionally, particularly given the heat. They will be working in protective suits. I hope they will stay safe and be able to make a difference to the people of Sierra Leone.

"They are a formed group of people, used to working together with clear line of accountability and responsibility and well-trained with the use of appropriate equipment and to operate in a third world country and sustain themselves. It is challenging enough to work in those suits in a temperate environment but even harder in temperatures of 35C. They are very brave."

After speaking to US president Barack Obama and the leaders of Germany, France and Italy by video conference call yesterday, Prime Minister David Cameron was today chairing the latest meeting of the Government's Cobra contingencies committee in Whitehall to discuss the UK's response, which has already seen screening of air travellers introduced at Heathrow airport.

The British Army medics, who will be based at Kerrytown - around 30 miles from Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown - have had nine days of intensive training on how to treat victims of the virus while preserving their own safety and that of other healthcare staff.

Meanwhile, British Ebola survivor and volunteer nurse Will Pooley said he is preparing to go back to west Africa to help deal with the epidemic because it is "something I need to do".

The WHO has reported a total of 8,997 cases of Ebola, including 4,493 deaths up to the end of October 12, the vast majority of them in the three west African countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

David Shakespeare, lead nurse for infection prevention and control at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester, said “There is currently a very small risk that a patient with Ebola could present to an admitting area at the trust.

“However we are still on alert for cases presenting at our hospitals and have plans and procedures in place should this occur in order to minimise the risk of infection to others. This includes having identified holding areas in each of our three hospitals, and carrying out refresher training for front line staff on mask fitting and the use of personal protective equipment.”