"U.S. to Commit Up to 3,000 Troops to Fight Ebola in Africa"
By: Helene Cooper, Michael D. Shear, and Denise Grady
Source: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/16/world/africa/obama-to-announce-expanded-effort-against-ebola.html
As the Ebola outbreak continues to devastate West Africa, Obama announced on Tuesday, September 16, that the United States would be playing a bigger role in an effort to contain the disease that has already claimed 3,000 lives. The Pentagon's original plan was to build a 25 bed portable hospital, but the President and his administration plan to go beyond that by building 17 Ebola treatment centers with about 1,700 beds. The Department of Defense plans to open a command center in Liberia's capitol city of Monrovia for logistical reasons. The Military will dispatch engineers to build more treatment centers, and enough personnel to train at least 500 medical workers a week in hopes to combat the microscopic menace. In total, the military estimates 3,000 people will be sent to the disease-stricken area of West Africa. The United States government will also hand out 400,000 Ebola treatment kits, along with thousands of kits to test whether someone has the infectious disease. It is unknown when the 17 treatment centers will be built, and as the condition in West Africa continues to deteriorate, Liberia reports it needs a 1,000 beds in the coming week.
This is an immensely important issue that can no longer be ignored by international governments. If control is not established in West Africa, the disease will continue to spread, and the death toll will rise substantially. Ebola does not recognize national borders, and will spread to any country that does not have a sufficient medical infrastructure and methods to contain such a deadly outbreak.
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