UK disaster relief charity ShelterBox has offered equipment supplies to government and medical charities in the battle to contain Ebola
Emergency shelter specialist ShelterBox is on standby to help the UK Government and international medical charities contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which has already claimed over 4,000 lives.
At the moment the most pressing shelter need is for large scale medical tents to create field hospitals, but ShelterBox’s family tents have seen service over the years as recovery areas, such as after the Haiti earthquake in 2010 where there was a cholera outbreak.
ShelterBox’s operations HQ in Helston has contacted colleague charities including Medicins Sans Frontieres, Save the Children and Care International, and well as the UK Government’s Department for International Development, to say it is available to help if required.
ShelterBox has pre-positioned stock, including tents, at Ghana on the African coast near to the worst affected areas of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Further stock could be airlifted from Dubai if needed.
ShelterBox Director of Operations John Leach says, ‘At present there is no call for our standard equipment, though there may well come a time when large scale emergency shelter would meet a need. In addition to the medical emergency, we are now hearing of a growing humanitarian crisis involving the number of orphans created by the Ebola outbreak. As with any disaster, anywhere in the world, ShelterBox is quick to offer its resources and practical help. Obviously the medics are in the front line at the moment, but there may come a time when West Africa has to deal with numbers of displaced persons who are leaving the urban areas.’
ShelterBox is part of the Government’s ‘Rapid Response’ group of charities, who receive direct funding if a need is identified in any international crisis.
Notes to Editors
RFA Argus, now docked at Falmouth in Cornwall, is one of the Royal Navy's larger support ships. She is being loaded with supplies including hospital beds, medical equipment and protective clothing in her massive hangar. Argus also has three Royal Navy Merlin helicopters on board to lift people and equipment. The ship will act as an offshore base as the troops set up four Ebola treatment centres in Sierra Leone, and as a floating hospital with 80 medical staff.
Passenger screening of UK arrivals will be extended to all Heathrow terminals by the end of the week, and Gatwick airport and Eurostar next week.