Ebola outbreak: UK sending 750 troops to Sierra Leone

[Bosonic]

Source: BBC

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.

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 increasing in Sierra Leone, with five new cases every hour.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29542129

[Man from Pickens]

1. Troops?

Why troops? Unless the plan is to shoot people trying to escape?

[southmost]

2. bingo

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. "They will help build a treatment facility"

It's right there in the OP.

The story at the link has more details:

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.

As well as building a treatment facility, the soldiers will also aid the construction of a facility to train healthcare workers.

[Man from Pickens]

4. If you were going to built a treatment facility

would troops be the kind of labor you would use to get the job done?

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Yes, when it's an emergency

That's just the kind of thing they're trained for - setting up a field hospital. Plus they are an existing unit you can send in together, rather than trying to assemble one from volunteers.

[IcyPeas]

6. U.S. to Commit Up to 3,000 Troops to Fight Ebola in Africa

the united states has done this also.

Senior administration officials said Monday night that the Department of Defense would open a joint command operation in Monrovia, Liberia, to coordinate the international effort to combat the disease. The military will also provide engineers to help construct the additional treatment facilities and will send enough people to train up to 500 health care workers a week to deal with the crisis.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/16/world/africa/obama-to-announce-expanded-effort-against-ebola.html?_r=0