Up to 100 Hampshire troops have arrived in West Africa to help in fight against the Ebola epidemic.

Members of 22 Field Hospital which is based at Normandy Barracks in Aldershot will be providing a 12-bed treatment unit for healthcare workers who have caught the deadly disease.

The 91 members which include nurses, doctors and infectious disease experts will be in based in Sierra Leone, where they will join 40 solders already in the West African country to work at the facility.

A naval ship with 100 hospital beds and more than 400 personnel is also heading to the country.

It comes as the outbreak is worsening in the three West African countries where it is concentrated, the World Health Organisation has reported the total number of cases is nearing 9,000 and the death toll is now 4,493 according to a United Nations health agency update.

Commanding Officer of 22 Field Hospital Lieutenant Colonel Alison McCourt, said: "We need to provide sufficient reassurance to healthcare workers that will encourage them to come and help defeat this disease.

“This unit has been the 'Vanguard' medical regiment for the past 20 months which means we are on high readiness to deploy at short notice to anywhere in the world - although this is a bit different and provides us with a challenge we are perfectly suited to this kind of task.

“I firmly believe we can make a significant difference and it will be professionally rewarding for those taking part.”