An outbreak of Ebola virus has killed more than 700 people in Africa and has spread to several American workers, helping to slow the spread of the disease,The Associated Press reported. Now, to add increased support to containment measures, Defense Department officials are discussing the possibility of sending additional personnel to West Africa to help control the disease, according to Military Times.
A spreading and highly fatal disease
American Forces Press Service reported that the Ebola virus has no known cure and a 90 percent fatality rate. Victims of the virus cannot be treated. Instead, they are offered supportive care while medical officials work tirelessly to find a cure to the ailment.
The travel advisory to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone has already been raised to level three, warning that unnecessary travel to the regions should be avoided. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun tracking and advised embassies in those locations using disease detectives and other officials. Along with this support, there are military health workers in the area providing logistical support and clinical management to help treat the infected population.
The military offers significant support
According to DoD officials, support from military forces is invaluable.
"DoD personnel bring a level of excellence second to none, working in response to host nations and WHO in the most-affected countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia," Army Col. James Cummings, a physician and director of the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System at the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, told AFPS.
Officials maintain that the DoD is responsible for assisting in matters of international health, according to Military Times. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Jonathan Woodson, M.D., claimed recently that international health crises are matters of national security, and the Pentagon is a key player in preventing outbreaks and health epidemics that could lead to disaster.
"One of the things I don't think many people realize is what a huge valuable asset the military health system is to this nation," Woodson said, according to Military Times. "Not only are we a key enabler so that service members, men and women who … go in harm's way will be taken care of, but we are a public health system, an education system, a research and development system."
The CDC has already announced that 50 additional health officials will be sent into the three infected African nations to help establish emergency operations centers and combat the disease, according to AFPS.
Low danger of infection with correct care
Despite a high rate of death and infections that have spread to large segments of the population, Ebola is a disease that can be handled with relative ease in the right conditions. The AP reported that due to the nature of Ebola transmission, containing the disease can be simple in a correctly outfitted hospital. Ebola spreads through bodily fluids and blood. It cannot be spread by an infected person's coughs or sneezes. Nonetheless, this makes concerns particularly high in Africa where the correct facilities may not be present to treat the growing masses of infected citizens.