Daily SumUp

NHS medics are to be tested in coping with a fictitious cholera outbreak in Worcestershire ahead of teams being deployed in Gaza and Ukraine.

The simulated exercise will be staged in a remote area of the county on Tuesday and involve about 30 doctors and nurses, medical aid charity UK-Med said.

A treatment clinic will be set up as the team race against the clock to treat live-actor patients and prevent the spread of the disease, they added.

The charity said it has two field hospitals in Gaza and has treated over 150,000 people so far.

UK-Med acts as the nation’s frontline health response to disasters overseas in agreement with the government, it said.

Melanie Johnson, deputy health director, recently spent six weeks in Gaza and said preparation was crucial.

“Infectious disease outbreaks are common in disaster and conflict zones, where health and sanitation infrastructure are damaged or destroyed – Gaza being an obvious example," she said.