A Maidstone doctor is sacrificing Christmas with his family to help those battling Ebola.

Dr Andy Taylor, consultant anaesthetist at both Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals, flew into Sierra Leone on Sunday after five days of specialised training in the UK.

After a final session on how to deal with the disease in Freetown, he will be donning suit, mask and goggles to complete his first shift on Christmas Day.

He has joined the mission through a government-assisted scheme under Med-UK.

Dr Taylor will keep in touch with his GP wife Kate and their children Hannah, 12, and Alex, 10, by phone and Skype.

The 42-year-old spent ‘Christmas Day’ in advance with his family before flying out – sharing turkey and exchanging presents.

He said: “We discussed the need of these people in west Africa.

“I didn’t really feel it would be right believing something should be done without going there myself. It will be a difficult time for Kate and without her support I couldn’t have done it.”

On the dangers, he said: “I don’t think it’s that risky as we have 300 of our soldiers out there building health centres to combat it, and so far no one has got it.

“From the moment we touched down in Freetown you’re trained not to have physical contact.

“If you stick with all the health protocols you cut the risk. If I do catch it I will take the advice of my doctors treating me there, with two options – to fly home or to be treated there.”

When Dr Taylor returns on January 31 he will not resume work straight away or stay with his family.

Instead he will live with his mother in Surrey for 21 days to ensure he is Ebola-free.
During that restriction he will undertake his own self-screening.

“It will be tough not being able to touch anybody for 21 days,” he says. “But I’m very optimistic we can get this virus under control providing the people there get enough help.”

"I’m very optimistic we can get this virus under control providing the people there get enough help..." - Dr Andy Taylor

So far Ebola has claimed the lives of almost 7,400 people in west Africa during the past year.

Signs are vomiting, diarrhoea and both internal and external bleeding, including from out of the eyes.

There is no cure for Ebola and the average survival rate of the highly infectious disease is only 50% once the patient shows clear signs, and their body has been touched.

However, during the incubation period the patient is not infectious.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) more than 620 health workers and doctors have died fighting the agonising illness.

The first cases of the present outbreak in west Africa were notified in March 2014.

WHO says it is the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the virus was first discovered in 1976.

No licensed vaccines are available yet, but human safety testing is being carried out on two potential ones.

Dr Taylor is not the only local man to head to Sierra Leone to help in the fight.

Maidstone medic Andy Hall, from Larkfield, is working as a frontline nurse in an isolation unit at the Connaught Hospital in Freetown, which was built in one week. The 25-year-old flew out in October.

Last month he told the KM: “I will stay until Ebola is over.

“I want to be here when the World Health Organisation announces that the country is Ebola-free.”

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