LONDON, Sept. 24 (People's Daily Online)-- More than 40 military personnel and humanitarian staff have arrived in Freetown to oversee the construction of the UK’s medical facility and assist with the UK’s response. The UK will publish an action plan setting out how it will work alongside the United Nations and Sierra Leone, to mobilise international medical teams and support further treatment centres.

The latest update follows a meeting of the UK’s emergency committee COBR on 24th September. Chaired by the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond from New York, the meeting reviewed progress on the UK’s commitment to boost significantly public health provision across Sierra Leone, including support for 700 Ebola treatment beds.

The Foreign Secretary said: “The Ebola outbreak has already been a significant feature in my discussions in New York. It is now vital that the international community translates its concern into action. This outbreak has wide-ranging humanitarian and security consequences for the region, and the world. Defeating this disease will need a global coalition, as well as innovative approaches to reducing the spread of the virus in communities. That is why combating Ebola through UK and international efforts is one the government’s top priorities.”

“We will be hosting an international conference in London on 2 October to raise even greater awareness of the disease and what is needed to contain it , encourage ambitious pledges and show our solidarity with the Government and People of Sierra Leone and the region.”

The International Development Secretary Justine Greening, who also joined the meeting in New York, called on world leaders at the UN to back UK and international efforts to respond to the worsening crisis in west Africa - which has become one of the world’s most extreme global emergencies. Justine Greening said: “Britain’s plan will triple bed provision in the country, but we cannot do this alone. Sierra Leone needs urgent offers of support from foreign medical teams and international donors.”