U.S. Military Expects Ebola Efforts To Last At Least One Year, AFRICOM Commander Says

News outlets report on U.S. military efforts to contain Ebola in West Africa.

The Atlantic: The U.S. Military Wages War on Ebola
“The U.S. military campaign to help eradicate Ebola from West Africa sounds anything but surgical. It will take — for now — nearly 4,000 American troops, cost $750 million, and it could last a year or longer. ‘This is not a small effort, and this is not a short period of time,’ the commander of U.S. forces in Africa, General David Rodriguez, said on Tuesday…” (Berman, 10/7).

Foreign Policy: U.S. Commander Foresees a Yearlong Ebola Effort
“The Pentagon’s fight against the Ebola outbreak ravaging West Africa could last a year, the top American general overseeing operations in Africa said Tuesday, marking yet another expansion of the White House’s desperate fight to slow the spread of the deadly virus…” (Brannen, 10/7).

The Hill: Pentagon: U.S. troops to have contact with Ebola virus
“Several dozen U.S. troops could come into contact with Ebola while testing for the deadly disease in Liberia, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The highly trained troops will help operate seven mobile labs, where they could be working with the blood of infected patients, Army Gen. David Rodriguez said. The new details on the military’s response to Ebola reveals a riskier operation than previously announced by the White House, surfacing fresh concerns of troops entering high-risk zones…” (Wong/Ferris, 10/7).

NPR: The U.S. Ebola Hospitals In Liberia Are Going Up … Slowly
“…[O]n Sept. 16, Obama announced a massive response to the outbreak, involving thousands of U.S. troops on the ground to train health care workers, deliver relief supplies, and build 17 Ebola treatment centers for the general public. At the time of the announcement, Obama stressed that time is of the essence. … Yet progress on the hospitals has been slow…” (10/7).

Wall Street Journal: U.S. Military Sends Experts to Mobile Ebola Labs in Liberia
“U.S. military specialists highly trained in dealing with biological threats have been sent to Liberia to operate mobile laboratories being set up to test blood samples for the Ebola virus, the top American commander in Africa said Tuesday. Gen. David Rodriguez, head of U.S. Africa Command, said the U.S. has sent three mobile labs to Liberia, each staffed by three to four military service members who will wear head-to-toe protection as a safeguard against accidental infection. Four more labs have been requested, and the Defense Department is looking to fill that need, Gen. Rodriguez said…” (Barnes, 10/7).

Washington Post: If U.S. troops get Ebola in Africa, they’ll get treatment in the U.S.
“If U.S. troops in Africa get the Ebola virus, they will be taken to the United States on a specially designed plane and get treatment there, said the top U.S. general overseeing operations in Africa…” (Lamothe, 10/7).

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