US Troops Deployed to Battle Ebola in West Africa WON'T be Equipped With Hazmat Suits

Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division deployed to Ebola hotspots in West Africa to battle the deadly disease will not receive full protective Hazmat suits for their mission.

Instead, the troops will be given only masks and gloves to protect them from the potentially fatal virus, General David Rodriguez said at a Pentagon briefing.

The Kentucky-based Army division is being sent to Liberia to help coordinate the response to the epidemic, and will primarily be building hospitals and treatment and training centers. 

[amazon asin=B00KNC2JE0&template=*lrc ad (left)]Major General Darryl Williams, the commander of US troops in Africa, claimed that the soldiers would not need full protective Hazmat suits as they would not be coming into direct contact with anyone infected with Ebola, Nashville Public Radio reports.

He said: ‘They don’t need the whole suit – as such – because they’re not going to be in contact with any of the people.’

General Rodriguez said that soldiers’ health will be monitored through surveys and taking their temperatures on their way in and out of camps. If a serviceman does get sick, they will be flown home immediately for treatment.[amazon asin=B00LVGSPLS&template=*lrc ad (right)]

The troops will be housed either in tent cities at military airfields or in Liberian Ministry of Defense facilities.

Next week, the 101st Airborne will hold a traditional pre-deployment ceremony – known as a ‘color casing’ – before departing for Liberia.

As the Ebola threat evolves, the Pentagon has acknowledged the size and duration of the mission in West Africa could too. 

Deployments might even top the current projection of nearly 4,000, an increase from an earlier estimate of around 3,000.

The military has already stood up a headquarters in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, and hopes to have a 25-bed field hospital up and running by the middle of this month. It also aims to quickly build up to 17 Ebola treatment units.

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