US to deploy 3,000 troops to halt Ebola spread

United States President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced the deployment of 3,000 troops to West Africa, as part of an attempt to halt the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the region.

U.S. officials said that the focus of the military deployment would be Liberia, the hardest hit of the countries affected by the epidemic.

“The reality is that the epidemic is going to get worse before it gets better,” Obama said on Tuesday. “But right now, the world still has an opportunity to save countless lives. Right now, the world has the responsibility to act, to step up and to do more. The United States intends to do more.”

Obama’s plan includes sending 3,000 troops, including engineers and medical personnel; establishing a regional command and control centre in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, commanded by Major General Darryl Williams; and forming a staging area in Senegal to help distribute aid on the ground.

It also includes building 17 treatment centres with 100 beds each; deploying US Public Health Services personnel in Liberian hospitals; training thousands of healthcare workers; and creating an ‘air bridge’ to get health workers and medical aid into West Africa more quickly.  

An Obama administration official said the Defence Department would ask Congress to approve $500 million in funds to help cover the mission's costs.

“This is an epidemic that is not just a threat to regional security. It’s a potential threat to global security,” Obama said. “If these countries break down, if their economies break down, if people panic. That has profound effects on all of us, even if we are not directly contracting the disease.”

During a congressional hearing a Washington, both Democrats and Republicans voiced support for funding against the virus.

"We need to declare a war on Ebola," Republican Senator Jerry Moran said.

The Ebola virus has so far killed 2,461 people since its recent outbreak, the WHO said. The virus causes fever and uncontrolled bleeding. This recent outbreak was first confirmed in Guinea back in March. It has since spread across Liberia and Sierra Leone. A handful of Ebola deaths have also been recorded in Nigeria.

The disease has crippled African health systems, infecting hundreds of local staff. In Liberia, a shortage of space in clinics means that patients are being turned away and consequently infecting others.

Many neighbouring African countries have closed their borders and cancelled flights to affected countries, making any humanitarian response more difficult. However, a draft U.N. Security Council resolution on Ebola calls on all U.N. member states, particularly the ones in the region, to re-open their borders and lift general travel restrictions. The resolution could win approval later on this week.