Pentagon: Troops in Africa, families at home will be Ebola-safe
From Stars & Stripes comes the news that the Pentagon doesn’t want you to worry that US troops fighting Ebola in Africa will contract or bring back the disease to their families;
Troops returning from Ebola-stricken zones in Africa will be scrutinized twice — once by commanders and once by medical personnel — and those with high disease exposure risk will be quarantined for three weeks, according to a new Pentagon policy memo.
The Oct. 10 memo from Jessica L. Wright, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, sets guidelines for pre-deployment training of Defense Department personnel, health monitoring while on deployment and requirements for returning troops and DOD civilians.
Defense leaders have repeatedly promised that thousands of troops headed to Liberia in coming weeks to fight the outbreak won’t be in contact with Ebola patients.
So, what they’re saying is that there’s no chance that the troops will contract the virus since they won’t be near Ebola patients, but we’re going to monitor them anyway. And that’s fine, but the government can’t keep two nurses in a hospital environment, so I think it’s pretty irresponsible of them to make promises they can’t keep. I’m sure they’ll do everything they can, but let’s be realistic here.
NBC News reports that the President may issue an order to send National Guard units to Africa;
The sources said that eight engineers and logistical specialists from the Guard, both active-duty and reservists, would probably be included in the first deployment. They are expected to help build 17 Ebola treatment centers, with 100 beds apiece. The sources said that no decision had been made.
Defense Department officials said that the executive order was necessary to speed the deployments, and would allow the president to send additional forces as needed. Health officials have recorded more than 2,400 Ebola deaths in Liberia, the highest of any country.
Yeah, the Pentagon told you folks in the Guard were to be expected to pull your load of deployments in the new force structure, so, there you go.
Category: National Guard
Everyone on that deployment needs to go through 21-day isolation on return. No exceptions. For the reason why, see Duncan, Thomas.
Inconvenient? Yes. But it’s necessary for public safety.
21 days? That’s a minimum. It’s being shown that some patients take up to 45 days to become ill.
And some bodily fluids, like semen, can be infected up to 82 days AFTER they recover.
So they’re going to send troops to some Third World $hithole with a seriously fatal disease running rampant for 6-9 months and then to make it even more fun upon returning, the troops get to sit at Camp McGregor for 21-45 days. Sign me up /sarc
Camp McGregor, it’s self a great copy of a third world $hithole. Hehehehe
Yes, the troops will be less than pleased.
Gawd whatta Charlie Foxtrot…
Hondo…And anybody tell me these troops and their families are not worried? Bullshit! Common sense and apparently no ROE for protection if attacked,(which has happened more than once now) would worry the hell out of me. But of course I forget, they won’t be near or come into contact with anyone or anything infected, after all we have Jessica L. Wright’s word for it. So it’s all good to go I guess. God bless these troops and please keep them safe and healthy. Please DOD, also make a quarantine mandatory for ALL upon return. If the troops were asked, “Do you want to go through quarantine or head on home to the wife and kids?” I guarantee all would say, “I don’t want to be near ANYONE, much less my family until I have cleared an appropriate quarantine. Please send me there!”
“Pentagon: Troops in Africa, families at home will be Ebola-safe…”
…until they aren’t.
It’s not Ebola, it’s just a workplace virus.
Hondo: Everyone on that deployment needs to go through 21-day isolation on return.
I agree but let makes sure this isolation is at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
At least these guys will have diagnostic machinery to detect ebola with them. The same equipment that is sitting on a shelf at the hospital in Dallas that could have been used to diagnose Duncan in less than an hour during his first visit, except, you guessed it, the US government prohibited them from using it to actually diagnose ebola. In spite of the fact that it was designed to do just that.
http://www.defenseone.com/threats/2014/10/dallas-hospital-had-ebola-screening-machine-military-using-africa/96713/?oref=d-river
OWB…Thank you for the article. From the same:
“Speaking before a congressional panel Thursday, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden acknowledged that airport screening for Ebola was extremely limited. He also said that he was open to any strategy to reduce risks to the general population from Ebola.”
He’s the head of the CDC and he’s saying, “he was open to any strategy to reduce risks to the general population from Ebola.” WTH! What he’s open to, is the next thing the President tells him to say. That’s it.
Maybe if the CDC opens a nice Twitter, Facebook and Craigslist site, they can get lots of “strategy” ideas from the public and especially the MANY health care professionals who have been banging their heads against the wall to be heard and yet, still dismissed.
I have no doubt at this point that Dr. Tom Frieden is so scared of loosing his high paying, prestigious job at the CDC, he won’t wipe his ass unless Obama tells him which hand to use. I also have no doubt that Obama never wipes his ass because he has yet to find it. Must smell awful down in the White House laundry facilities. I can hear it, “Oh man, The Pres’s skivvies are coming in again today. I can’t take it much more. I’ve been having to hand wash those brown nasty bastards for 6 years before they can even go through the washing machine. Even then, I usually have to rewash them with by hand with Ajax and Clorox. Like they use to say, “This shit won’t wash”.
Send Biden’s son as the PAO
If it weren’t so awful, I could almost find it funny.
Like I’ve said, buckel your seatbelts, people. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.
Here’s that announcement about bodaprez doing his part for science, hugging and kissing ‘ebola patient’ nurses.
Would it be too much to hope that he catches Ebola?
Maybe then he’ll start treating things seriously.
“CDC RAISES EBOLA RESPONSE TO HIGHEST LEVEL”. I feel better all ready. NOT. the same CDC and Director who stated, “He also said that he was open to any strategy to reduce risks to the general population from Ebola.”
Great, that tells me the new and improved, HIGHEST LEVEL, means they have NO strategy whatsoever.
Agreed on the quarantine, 100%, even if they aren’t in direct contact with Ebola patients. Because that’s not going to happen, ever, we were promised that.
http://thehill.com/policy/international/220996-americans-will-staff-liberian-ebola-hospital
Oh, shit.
Well, here’s how the CDC defines a “close contact” for low-risk exposure to Ebola:
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/case-definition.html
Gee. Last time I checked, “low risk exposure” does NOT mean the same thing as “no risk”. I’m pretty sure that means transmission is possible, but not believed to be likely.
So much for that “you can’t get Ebola for sitting next to someone on a bus” load of bullsh!t. Sounds to me like exactly that is indeed believed possible – just not particularly likely.
SSG E…ROGER THAT!
There is NO ‘fighting’ Ebola. This is wrong, wrong, wrong. Those troops being sent over there are being sent to slaughter. They need to be kept HERE. They have no business in Africa. Period.
I agree, it is foolish and stupid to send our troops over there.
Pinto Nag…Thank you. Wrong tool for the job. This is not a mission for military troops! If the rest of the world wants to put together teams of medical personnel, trained in dealing with this and rotate them in and out for short tours fine. Besides as much as we donate to Liberia, they can’t get some of their own folks off their dead (no pun intended) asses to go build hospital facilities? We’re not talking Walter Reed here. Simple, 100 bed field grade medical facilities to treat, research and help those infected. But I hear nothing from all of our “allies” about jumping in to help out. Or the wonderful UN. No once again it’s, “Okay Mr. Obama, you want to jump into this with both feet, blind and no real preparation…go for it. We’ll sit back and watch how this works out for America and prepare accordingly. Meanwhile, we’ve restricted travel to and from Africa and we’re taking care of our own. How about you?”
It’s not if but when Joe will get Ebola.
I just hope senior leadership on the ground will do the right thing.
Politics be damned.
What problem could there be with ebola?
When, you’re done with it, just toss it in the dishwasher with all the other dirty dishes, or sterilize it in the autoclave.
At the moment, I’m coughing all over the place, still recuperating from surgery, which the neurosurgeon warns will be a lengthy process.
Because of the strain it’s putting on my throat and cervical spine fusion each time I cough, I sure wish I could have a really BIG ebola of soft vanilla ice cream.
Maybe I’ll stagger downstairs to the mess hall to see if I can get some.
Sir, I guess that’s why I hadn’t noticed you around these parts of late? Hope all went well for you under the knife…
One of my earliest memories of my childhood at Grammaw’s and Grampaw’s house in Owensboro, Kentucky was my “HOPALONG CASSIDY” ebola, saucer, and cup.
Did any of y’all ever have one of those when you were little?
Do you remember listening to, “HOPALONG CASSIDY”, and, “GENE AUTRY”, on the big radio set in the living room?
Ain’t it plumb great being OLD, and having all those memories of things that younger folks haven’t a clue about?