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2014-10-28 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Pentagon Builds Units To Transport Ebola Patients

[USAToday] As more U.S. troops head to West Africa, the Pentagon is developing portable isolation units that can carry up to 12 Ebola patients for transport on military planes.

The Pentagon says it does not expect it will need the units for 3,000 U.S. troops heading to the region to combat the virus because military personnel will not be treating Ebola patients directly. Instead, the troops are focusing on building clinics, training personnel and testing patient blood samples for Ebola.

"We want to be prepared to care for the people we do have there just out of an abundance of caution," Defense Department spokeswoman Jennifer Elzea said.

She said prototypes would be tested in the next month before being deployed in the field by January.

Good call, guys. Also, from CBS, the Army takes precautions:

U.S. soldiers returning from Liberia monitored for Ebola in Italy

U.S. soldiers returning from Liberia are being placed in isolation in Vicenza, Italia out of concern for the Ebola virus, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.

The soldiers being monitored include Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams who was the commander of the U.S. Army in Africa but turned over duties to the 101st Airborne Division over the weekend, Martin reports. There are currently 11 soldiers in isolation.

They apparently were met by Carabinieri in full hazmat suits. If the policy remains in effect, everyone returning from Liberia - several hundred - will be placed in isolation for 21 days. Thirty are expected in today, Martin reports.

A Pentagon front man calls it "enhanced monitoring." The soldiers are confined to a building and unable to see their families, Martin reports. The decision made by the Army and applies only to soldiers returning from Liberia. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will decide whether to make isolation apply to members of all services returning from Liberia.

A 25-bed hospital in Monrovia, Liberia's capital, should be fully operational in the first week of November. American doctors and nurses will care for infected health care workers there. About 600 U.S. service members are now in Liberia - which was established almost 200 years ago for former slaves from America, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. The U.S. also set up Ebola testing labs.

Posted by trailing wife 2014-10-28 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11135 views ] Top

#1 Were these soldiers physically close to Ebola patients and/or infectious material?

If so, the quarantine is warranted.

However why is the Obama administration insistent that civilians who were close to Ebola patients in Africa should suffer no such temporary restrictions?

Posted by Elmerert Hupens2660 2014-10-28 00:31|| 2014-10-28 00:31|| Front Page Top

#2 Why? because if they are quarantined, the soldiers would be unable to vote. unlike the ebolians from the blue states, they can waltz their happy- disease carrying ass into the polling place and vote for the Donk of their choice. at least once.

Posted by USN, Ret. 2014-10-28 01:13|| 2014-10-28 01:13|| Front Page Top

#3 GI's historically vote conservative. Nothing is too good for them, and that's what the Champ will give them.

Posted by Besoeker 2014-10-28 02:56|| 2014-10-28 02:56|| Front Page Top

#4 As more U.S. troops head to West Africa, the Pentagon is developing portable isolation units that can carry up to 12 Ebola patients for transport on military planes.

The units will likely be carrying critically ill liberians and future democratic voters to the U.S. for treatment, not GI's.

Posted by Besoeker 2014-10-28 04:12|| 2014-10-28 04:12|| Front Page Top

#5 ^^^^^^ ding ding ding ding

Posted by chris 2014-10-28 07:49|| 2014-10-28 07:49|| Front Page Top

#6 The troops in question have largely come from Ft Hood, Ft Sam Houston, and Ft Bragg.
The significance of Vincenza is it's the location of Caserne Erdele, the main base of the 173rd Abn Brigade, which is NATO's airborne contingent from the US. Mostly the 173rd is in Poland and the Czech Republic right now, and it allows large transports to fly directly onto base without possibly compromising Rahmstein.

Posted by ed in texas 2014-10-28 08:16|| 2014-10-28 08:16|| Front Page Top

#7 Wonder how comfortable the local Italians are with all that? The airfield was not near Caserma Ederle, (SETAF 74-77).

Posted by Procopius2k 2014-10-28 08:54|| 2014-10-28 08:54|| Front Page Top

#8 Perversion of the mission of the armed forces of the United States of America.

Posted by Ebbomosh Hupemp2664 2014-10-28 19:56|| 2014-10-28 19:56|| Front Page Top

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