Defence Forces to volunteer for ebola work in Africa

Defence Forces personnel are to help with the "harrowing work" in ebola-hit countries of West Africa including the collection and burial of bodies and the establishment of healthcare facilities in remote areas.

Defence Minister Simon Coveney has told the Cabinet that a handful of troops will be sent to help with the fight to contain the spread of the disease in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea where the deadly disease is spreading daily.

However, he said there was no guarantee that these, or Irish aid workers in those countries, would be brought home if they contracted the virus.