The Abbott government is set to announce that it will assist several hundred Australian expert volunteers travel to one of the Ebola hotspots of Africa to help control the epidemic.

The government has struck an agreement to manage a British field hospital in Sierra Leone, according to diplomatic sources. An official announcement is expected on Wednesday.

International effort: Health care workers assist a suspected Ebola sufferer in Sierra Leone. Credit:Tanya Bindra

It is the first hands-on help that the government has agreed to give. To now, it has resisted sending personnel and given financial aid only.

The government agreed to contribute to the international effort to halt the epidemic at source only after making evacuation plans for any Australian volunteer who might become infected.