HighlightsEVD is associated with life-threatening electrolyte imbalance and organ dysfunction.Clinical staging/early warning scores can be useful EVD prognostic indicators.Enhanced protocolized care is a blueprint for future treatment in low-resource settings.

We present a 26-year-old male British military nurse, deployed to Sierra Leone to treat patients with Ebola virus disease at the military-run Kerry Town Ebola Treatment Unit. Following exposure to chlorine gas during routine maintenance procedures, the patient had an episode of respiratory distress and briefly lost consciousness after exiting the facility. Diagnoses of reactive airways disease, secondary to the chlorine exposure and a hypocapnic syncopal episode were made. The patient was resuscitated with minimal intervention and complete recovery occurred in less than 1 week. This case highlights the issues of using high-strength chlorine solution to disinfect the red zone. Although this patient had a good outcome, this was fortunate. Ensuring Ebola treatment centres are optimally designed and that appropriate management systems are formulated with extraction scenarios rehearsed are important to mitigate the chlorine-associated risk.

We present a 27-year old British nurse admitted to the Kerry Town Ebola Treatment Unit, Sierra Leone, with symptoms fitting suspect-Ebola virus disease (EVD) case criteria. A diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria and heat illness was ultimately made, both of which could have been prevented through employing simple measures not utilised in this case. The dual pathology of her presentation was atypical for either disease meaning EVD could not be immediately excluded. She remained isolated in the red zone until 72 h from symptom onset. This case highlights why force protection measures are important to reduce the incidence of both malaria and heat illness in deployed military and civilian populations. These prevention measures are particularly pertinent during the current EVD epidemic where presenting with these pathologies requires clinical assessment in the 'red zone' of an Ebola treatment unit.

Since December 2013, the Zaire Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic has ravaged West Africa. In collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada, healthcare workers (HCWs) and support staff from the Royal Canadian Medical Services (RCMS) of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) were deployed to Kerry Town, Sierra Leone. A total of 79 RCMS personnel deployed over the course of the 6-month mission in collaboration with the British Armed Forces to support efforts in West Africa. The treatment centre was mandated to treat international and local HCWs exposed to the infection. The goal of the Ebola virus disease treatment unit (EVDTU) was to provide care to affected HCWs and a beacon to attract and engage foreign HCWs to work in one of the international non-governmental organisation Ebola treatment centres in Sierra Leone. We focus on the CAF experience at the Kerry Town Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone in particular on the various clinical skill sets demonstrated in physicians, nurses and medical technicians deployed to the EVDTU. We outline some of the staffing challenges that arose and suggest that the necessary clinical skills needed to effectively manage patients with EVD in an austere environment can be shared across a small and diverse team of healthcare providers.