Ebola- General tries to correct perception

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Department of Defense Press Briefing by General Rodriguez in the Pentagon Briefing Room


Presenters: Commander, U.S. Africa Command General David M. Rodriguez
October 07, 2014



Note: Clarification was provided by General Rodriguez, following the briefing:


"In response to comments I made today about U.S. military personnel potentially coming in direct contact with Ebola infected individuals, specific to lab testing, I want to clarify my remarks. U.S. military personnel working in the labs are not interacting with patients, only samples. The testing labs are manned by highly skilled and trained personnel from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center. These labs provide 24-hour turnaround results on samples received from area clinics and healthcare providers, with the capability to process up to 100 samples per day."

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1. Link to DoD transcript of 7 Oct 2014 news conference

http://www.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=5515

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2. Talking point from presser: U.S. troops' Ebola mission may last a year

http://www.navytimes.com/article/20141007/NEWS08/310070074/U-S-troops-Ebola-mission-may-last-year

U.S. troops' Ebola mission may last a year
Oct. 7, 2014 - 04:15PM |
By Andrew Tilghman
Staff writer

Thousands of U.S. troops may be living in tent cities in Liberia and supporting the fight against Ebola for “about a year” or until the deadly outbreak appears to be under control, the top military commander in Africa said Oct. 7. “This is not a small effort and it’s not a short period of time,” Army Gen. David Rodriguez, the chief of U.S. Africa Command, told reporters at the Pentagon.

About 350 U.S. troops are now in West Africa and total deployments may reach 4,000 during the next several weeks.
(snip)

Rodriguez said protocols for ensuring U.S. personnel do not contract the potentially deadly disease will include wearing gloves and masks but not complete full-body protective suits. They will wash their hands and feet multiple times a day. And military health care team members will be taking their temperatures and asking them a series of questions every day to identify any troops who may show symptoms linked to Ebola, he said.

(snip)
He estimated that the mission’s initial task, building 17 Ebola treatment units, each with 100 beds, will be completed by November. But many troops will remain to continue providing engineering and logistical support to the Liberians.

(snip)
While troops will not have direct contact with Ebola patients for now, that could change as the mission evolves. “They’ll continually relook that decision,” Rodriguez said, referring to senior U.S. officials.

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DoD and the National Institutes of Health have been instrumental in developing potential vaccines and treatments against the deadly disease, which has a mortality rate of more than 60 percent.

This month, human safety testing will begin on a potential vaccine at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Md., and the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases began safety testing last month on a separate potential immunization.
(snip)