MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — The vanguard of a U.S. military force has started building a hospital for stricken health workers in Liberia.
The arrival of 100 U.S. Marines yesterday brings to just over 300 the total number of American troops in Liberia. The Marines and their aircraft will help with air transportation and ferrying of supplies, overcoming road congestion in Monrovia and bad roads outside the capital. The U.S. military says a priority will be transporting building materials to treatment unit sites.
The U.S. has said it will oversee construction of 17 treatment units with 100 beds each in addition to a 25-bed hospital to treat health workers who may contract Ebola.
USAID officials say six treatment units are operational, with about 250 beds coming online in the last 10 days or so.
The 101st Airborne Division is expected to deploy 700 troops by late October.
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APPHOTO NIN101: U.S marines disembark upon their arrival at the Roberts International airport in Monrovia, Liberia, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014. Six U.S. military planes arrived Thursday at the epicenter of the Ebola crisis, carrying more aid and American Marines into Liberia, the country hardest hit by the deadly disease that has devastated West Africa and stirred anxiety across a fearful world. At a World Bank meeting in Washington, the presidents of several West African countries struggling with Ebola pleaded for help, with one calling the epidemic “a tragedy unforeseen in modern times.” (AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh) (9 Oct 2014)
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APPHOTO NIN102: U.S marines arrival at the Roberts International airport in Monrovia, Liberia, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014. Six U.S. military planes arrived Thursday at the epicenter of the Ebola crisis, carrying more aid and American Marines into Liberia, the country hardest hit by the deadly disease that has devastated West Africa and stirred anxiety across a fearful world. At a World Bank meeting in Washington, the presidents of several West African countries struggling with Ebola pleaded for help, with one calling the epidemic “a tragedy unforeseen in modern times.” (AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh) (9 Oct 2014)
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