UK Royal Navy aids in Ebola fight

A UK Royal Navy Merlin helicopter from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose recently delivered urgent supplies to a support camp in Kumala, Sierra Leone, as part of efforts to help the United Nations (UN) combat Ebola; the delivery was in response to a UN World Food Programme request.

The Merlin Mk2 helicopter, part of 820 Naval Air Squadron, was flying building materials from the World Food Programme hub in Port Loko to a community care centre in Kumala – the centre is a 28-bed facility specifically built to care for Ebola patients, but because of the mountainous terrain it is not currently accessible via road.

“This is the first time that we have been asked to complete a mission of this type,” commented Lieutenant Roger Angliss, an observer onboard the helicopter. “We’ve flown many missions since deploying to Sierra Leone in support of the UK effort on the ground, but this mission was critical for the people of Kumala, as it is so remote. Without our help, they could have gone weeks without trained healthcare workers to help them fight Ebola, and I think I can speak for the whole crew when I say that we are extremely proud of the fact that we could help this small remote community.”