A Suffolk nurse who contracted Ebola in West Africa could be in line to receive a medal honouring Britons involved in the fight against the disease.

Will Pooley, from Eyke, near Woodbridge, who returned to Sierra Leone after recovering from the virus in October, is likely to be among those decorated with the award, announced by Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday.

Since making a recovery, after being flown back to the UK in 24 August and treated at the special isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London, Mr Pooley has donated his own blood as part of the effort to find a cure for the deadly disease.

He could be decorated for his continued humanitarian service in the summer, according to Mr Cameron who will recommend to the new medal to The Queen.

Mr Cameron said the honour would be a mark of the “immense debt of gratitude” owed to NHS medics, the armed forces, civil servants and aid workers who risked their own lives to save others.

He told MPs they were “incredibly brave people who have worked in very difficult conditions, including many of them over Christmas.

“They are the people who are helping to save thousands of lives in Africa and protecting the UK from the potentially disastrous consequences of the disease spreading.”

At least 2,000 people deemed to have made a “significant contribution” to the effort are expected to qualify for the medal, which is yet to be designed.