US sends 700 soldiers to Liberia to fight Ebola

Washington, Oct 2: US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has authorised the deployment of 700 soldiers to Liberia to help with the fight against the Ebola epidemic there, the Defence Department said in a statement Wednesday.

The troops will be deployed in late October to supervise the construction of Ebola treatment units, conduct site surveys and provide engineering expertise in an area with a range of infrastructure repair needs, Xinhua reported.

Last week, 15 construction-specialty sailors from the US Army arrived in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, to offer engineering support to the Operation United Assistance, conducting site surveys for future hospitals, and supply storage and training facilities for health care workers.

The deployments are part of a whole-of-government response to the Ebola outbreak, according to the statement.

About 195 Defence Department personnel are now in west Africa, and over the last weekend the equipment for a 25-bed hospital and two mobile labs arrived in Monrovia.

The hospital will be in operation around mid-October, the statement said, adding that US military personnel are not and will not be providing direct care to Ebola patients.

IANS