After surviving the deadly Ebola Virus, many would have expected British nurse William Pooley to stay away from Sierra Leone where he contracted the disease. But, the nurse is not afraid, as he has returned to the Ebola-stricken country to help fight it
He should be afraid. But fear seems to have no slot in his heart. At the heart of his boldness appears to be the belief that once you have been cured of Ebola, you are unlikely to have it again.
This immunity and the love of the people of Sierra Leone is making British nurse William Pooley return to the country where he was hurriedly flown out after contracting the deadly virus.
Pooley is now back in the country where he caught the deadly virus as he prepares to rejoin efforts to tackle the epidemic.
Pooley said he was “delighted” to return to Sierra Leone as he attempts to prevent “as many unnecessary deaths as possible” from the disease.
The 29-year-old is due to arrive in the capital Freetown tonight before he resumes work tomorrow in an Ebola isolation unit run by UK medical staff, King’s Health Partners said.
He became the first confirmed Briton to contract Ebola and was flown back to the UK in August. He was treated at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
Pooley said: “I am delighted to be returning to Sierra Leone to join the King’s Health Partners team. I would like to once again thank the team at the Royal Free Hospital and the RAF who provided me with such excellent treatment and support.
“But the real emergency is in West Africa, and the teams out there need all the support we can give them.
“I am now looking forward to getting back out there and doing all I can to prevent as many unnecessary deaths as possible.”
Pooley will be working in the isolation unit at Connaught Hospital where he will train local staff and help to set up new isolation units, after previously treating patients in a government hospital in Kenema.
He will join the King’s Health Partners team, a partnership between King’s College London and three NHS trusts – Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley.
Dr Oliver Johnson, programme director for the King’s Sierra Leone Partnership, said: “It is fantastic that Will has chosen to join our small team here at Connaught Hospital.
“The situation here in Freetown is getting worse by the day and so Will’s experience and commitment will be vital as we do everything we can to stem the flow of cases.
“The best way of stopping Ebola spreading even further is to fight it at its source and I look forward to working with Will to do just that.”
Last week, Pooley said he was preparing to return to West Africa to help deal with the Ebola epidemic because it is “something I need to do”.
Speaking in Whitehall in central London, he said he knew his family and friends would be worried but they should be reassured by his potential immunity to the virus.
“There is still a lot of work to do out there and I am in the same or better position than when I chose to go out before,” Mr Pooley said.
“I know my mum and dad are worried but they support me because they know this is something I have to do.
“My potential immunity is very reassuring for them, or at least it should be, and I will be returning in a more organised fashion than when I was out there originally.”
Last month Mr Pooley, from Eyke in Suffolk, reportedly flew to the US to undergo a blood transfusion to help an American being treated for the virus.
More than 4,500 people have died from Ebola, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Britain’s latest Ebola aid flight carrying vital medical supplies landed in Freetown yesterday, International Development Secretary Justine Greening said.
It was the UK’s sixth aid flight and carried almost £900,000 worth of medical equipment needed for the 92 bed treatment facility in Kerry Town, including blood banks, centrifuges and protective equipment such as goggles and gloves.
Mr Pooley was treated with the experimental drug ZMapp and left hospital on September 3 after making a full recovery.
The UK, which has committed £125 million to tackling Ebola, has put pressure on other wealthy countries to do more to combat the spread of the virus.
The Prime Minister has written to European Union leaders calling for them to double their contribution to one billion euro (£800 million).
Ms Greening said: “As part of Britain’s £125 million response we are building six treatment centres across Sierra Leone which are vital to controlling and defeating the Ebola outbreak.
“We will provide direct care for up to 8,800 patients over six months and this latest flight has delivered the kit needed to provide treatment for Ebola victims.
“Britain is committed to helping Sierra Leone defeat this terrible disease and we are calling on the international community to ramp up its efforts.”
Meanwhile, Ms Greening told Sky News’ Murnaghan programme that the UK was “well prepared” for the “handful” of cases experts had predicted were likely to occur in the country.
“The risk to the UK remains low,” she said. “In the meantime the most effective thing we can do is the work that we are doing with Sierra Leone to help them combat Ebola there.”
Shadow international development secretary Jim Murphy said the UK was “doing well” in the scale of its response but other countries had to do their bit.
He told the Murnaghan programme: “The fact is the founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg has given many more times the donations than countries like Italy. Ikea, the furniture warehouse, has given more or about the same as Italy.
“So there are countries that aren’t doing enough and we have to say that publicly and we have to try and persuade them. But if countries like Italy won’t do their bit we have also got to embarrass them.”
His return to West Africa coincided with the U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel order for the creation of a 30-member expeditionary medical support team to be able to provide emergency help in the event of an Ebola crisis in the United States.
A Pentagon spokesman said yesterday the team of five doctors, 20 nurses and five trainers could respond on short notice to help civilian medical professionals. A statement from Rear Admiral John Kirby said.
Three cases of Ebola have been diagnosed in the United States, prompting widespread concern about the potential spread of the virus. A Liberian man fell ill while on a trip to Dallas, Texas, and died on Oct. 8. Two nurses who treated him contracted the disease.
Kirby called the team “an added, prudent measure to ensure our nation is ready to respond quickly, effectively and safely in the event of additional Ebola cases.” He said it would consist of critical care nurses, doctors trained in infectious diseases and trainers in infectious disease protocols.
“They will not be sent to West Africa or elsewhere overseas and will be called upon domestically only if deemed prudent by our public health professionals,” the statement said.
The team is drawn from across the military services include 20 critical care nurses, five doctors trained in infectious diseases and five trainers in infectious disease protocols.
The team will go to Fort Sam Houston in Texas for training in infection control and special protective equipment. Training is expected to start within the next week.
Kirby said the team won’t be sent to West Africa or elsewhere overseas. He said members would be called up for service in the U.S. only if needed by public health officials.
