General Says No Soldiers Have Asked Out of Ebola Deployments

NorwichDad

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http://www.military.com/daily-news/...iers-have-asked-out-of-ebola-deployments.html

To date, there have been no instances of soldiers refusing to deploy to West Africa or asking to be removed from the lists slated for deployment. "Absolutely not," Allyn said, stressing that the troops "will not be in direct contact" with Ebola victims or those suspected of having contracted the virus.


I think this is the best hope for ending the Ebola crisis. We and our allies have to work to stop the virus in Africa. I really think this is a noble effort. I would have no problem if my son was involved in this.
 
I somewhat agree but this part concerns me in the article;

"Certainly going over there, they could indirectly get contact, but their primary mission is not to take care of patients," Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday of the deploying troops on the ABC "This Week" program.
Dr. Richard Besser, the former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control, said that "we have a situation where only 20 percent of patients with Ebola are being treated in treatment units."
"So there are a lot of patients who have Ebola who are not in a protected environment," Besser said. "So the possibility of a soldier getting Ebola is very real and something we have to be ready for."
However, Gen. Dennis Via, head of the Army Materiel Command, said he is "confident that we'll be able to put them in a position to be safe."

I used to go to Liberia every 3-6 months for a yr for about 5 days each time. I short toured by going to flight school.

I doubt much has changed. The airport was about 1hr(or less) from Monrovia and the CG Omega Station (run by Liberians) was about 1hr(or less) drive. These 2 roads crossed a little outside of Monrovia. Monrovia is liken to Haiti-spotty electricity and water. These were the 2 and only main roads when i was there.

We would get our water from a well at the OMSTA with canteens and bring peanut butter to eat. Everyone there had Malaria-100 + degrees and people shakin with wool blankets. You eat your pills but they said that it's not 100% and you get a host of shots before you go-some in series.

Just past the crossroads was what they called up-country(jungle). Most of the terrain prior to the jungle is high grass with pines esp towards the airport.

Everything is/ or was tribal-there were 3 distinct tribes-don't remember their names but they were always warring against each other. I had an uzi and ak held at my head during a check point at the crossroads. The military green uniform guys were shaking every vehicle down. I thought they were stoned out of their mind.

The Americal-Liberians who are the repatriated descendants did not mess well with the other tribes.

Coupes and attempted coupes (President Doe at the time) and killing happened all the time. You could hear about it on the car radio and was reported in a matter of fact way(strange). The rituals i will not mention here.

The hospital there is JFK-the Liberians called it Just Freshly Killed.

With the amount of people there, I wonder where they are going to set up those camps.

How are they going to stop masses of people to walk right up to our troops?

Now this was back 1984/85 but from what I have seen it still looks the same. I can tell a whole bunch of other stories but who cares.

Perhaps some else has an experience there that they can tell or update.

A lot more prayers and hope for safety need to go out.
 
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I somewhat agree but this part concerns me in the article;

"Certainly going over there, they could indirectly get contact, but their primary mission is not to take care of patients," Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday of the deploying troops on the ABC "This Week" program.
Dr. Richard Besser, the former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control, said that "we have a situation where only 20 percent of patients with Ebola are being treated in treatment units."
"So there are a lot of patients who have Ebola who are not in a protected environment," Besser said. "So the possibility of a soldier getting Ebola is very real and something we have to be ready for."
However, Gen. Dennis Via, head of the Army Materiel Command, said he is "confident that we'll be able to put them in a position to be safe."

I used to go to Liberia every 3-6 months for a yr for about 5 days each time. I short toured by going to flight school.

I doubt much has changed. The airport was about 1hr(or less) from Monrovia and the CG Omega Station (run by Liberians) was about 1hr(or less) drive. These 2 roads crossed a little outside of Monrovia. Monrovia is liken to Haiti-spotty electricity and water. These were the 2 and only main roads when i was there.

We would get our water from a well at the OMSTA with canteens and bring peanut butter to eat. Everyone there had Malaria-100 + degrees and people shakin with wool blankets. You eat your pills but they said that it's not 100% and you get a host of shots before you go-some in series.

Just past the crossroads was what they called up-country(jungle). Most of the terrain prior to the jungle is high grass with pines esp towards the airport.

Everything is/ or was tribal-there were 3 distinct tribes-don't remember their names but they were always warring against each other. I had an uzi and ak held at my head during a check point at the crossroads. The military green uniform guys were shaking every vehicle down. I thought they were stoned out of their mind.

The Americal-Liberians who are the repatriated descendants did not mess well with the other tribes.

Coupes and attempted coupes (President Doe at the time) and killing happened all the time. You could hear about it on the car radio and was reported in a matter of fact way(strange). The rituals i will not mention here.

The hospital there is JFK-the Liberians called it Just Freshly Killed.

With the amount of people there, I wonder where they are going to set up those camps.

How are they going to stop masses of people to walk right up to our troops?

Now this was back 1984/85 but from what I have seen it still looks the same. I can tell a whole bunch of other stories but who cares.

Perhaps some else has an experience there that they can tell or update.

A lot more prayers and hope for safety need to go out.

Interesting and very good perspective. Thank You. It must be worse now. I just think this thing has to be contained like we have done in the past. Only instead of dealing with three vilages we are dealing with three countries. Nigeria has a good handle on Ebola. These other countries do not have the capability or resources. The more people get it the more likely for mutation of the virus. It could develop airborn capability. It is one of those things we must do.
I remember my grandmother speaking of the 1918 Influenza. Came close to shuttng down the world. 5% of the world died of it in less than two years. It was so scary she said you were not allowed to speak of it years later at social events.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic
 
Interesting and very good perspective. Thank You. It must be worse now. I just think this thing has to be contained like we have done in the past. Only instead of dealing with three vilages we are dealing with three countries. Nigeria has a good handle on Ebola. These other countries do not have the capability or resources. The more people get it the more likely for mutation of the virus. It could develop airborn capability. It is one of those things we must do.
I remember my grandmother speaking of the 1918 Influenza. Came close to shuttng down the world. 5% of the world died of it in less than two years. It was so scary she said you were not allowed to speak of it years later at social events.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic

I agree. If it turns airborne-it's everywhere.

The 1918 Flu Pandemic killed more than the WWI killed.

Hope the viral Dr.'s/scientist are getting close to a discovery cure.
 
I agree. If it turns airborne-it's everywhere.

The 1918 Flu Pandemic killed more than the WWI killed.

Hope the viral Dr.'s/scientist are getting close to a discovery cure.

Grandma said they watched the 1918 flu come up from Pittsburgh on the train lines. A town would get it one day, a town closer the next, and again until it arrived. With Air travel now, something Airborne would travel the whole world in less than 24 hours.

We have to fight Ebola.
 
I just wonder if those that have survived(i think only 30% do) can somehow be used to help those infected.

I know that Dr. Kent Brently(sp?) did give (i think) a plasma x-fusion. I wonder how that is working for one of the nurses from Tx who contacted the Ebola now in Emory hosp. If that works get the 30% who survived to do the same.

Maybe KP2001(i don't think a viral specialist but knows that i have no clue about diseases) might know more or someone else here.

It would be interesting to see if progress could be made on that front.

I think that it takes over 3 months to make the experimental drug that uses a Ky tobacco plant as a part of the mix to be refined to make the drug.
 
I don't even pretend to be any source of information in regards to Ebola beyond what I've read by the CDC, medical journals, and the hospital systems for which I work.

The one aspect that your comment does bring to mind though is the development of drugs and treatments. Everyone (myself included) would like to see a treatment that works well and see it NOW! But nobody wants to fund those expenditures beforehand. Everyone complains about the costs of medicines etc, but some of that money gets put into R&D.....so we can't have it both ways.
 
I don't even pretend to be any source of information in regards to Ebola beyond what I've read by the CDC, medical journals, and the hospital systems for which I work.

The one aspect that your comment does bring to mind though is the development of drugs and treatments. Everyone (myself included) would like to see a treatment that works well and see it NOW! But nobody wants to fund those expenditures beforehand. Everyone complains about the costs of medicines etc, but some of that money gets put into R&D.....so we can't have it both ways.

This is where our priorities are messed up. Plenty of money in R&D for little blue pills that affect people with money and insurance that will pay for treatment of a non-life-threatening condition, but for a deadly disease that threatens the poor people of countries without billions to spend - very little gets spent, at least until the threat shows up on an airplane...
 
This is where our priorities are messed up. Plenty of money in R&D for little blue pills that affect people with money and insurance that will pay for treatment of a non-life-threatening condition, but for a deadly disease that threatens the poor people of countries without billions to spend - very little gets spent, at least until the threat shows up on an airplane...

I don't agree with your assertion, but in the interest of keeping the thread from going down a healthcare debate rabbit hole I'll leave the thesis for another day :biggrin:

As an aside: Viagra was originally developed to treat hypertension and angina, both diseases with significant mortality and morbidity. (I realize it was simply a representation and there are other similar choices one could insert in the argument, but some may not realize its original development)
 
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