Obama is sending 3,000 U.S. military personnel to fight Ebola in Africa

Obama is sending 3,000 U.S. military personnel to fight Ebola in Africa
(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, President Obama is announcing the deployment of up to 3,000 military personnel to Africa. The enemy this time is Ebola, specifically the West African outbreak that has killed at least 2,200 people so far. The U.S. military will initially provide logistical and medical support to Liberia, which is struggling to cope with, much less stop, the exponential spread of the deadly virus.

The U.S. military has already committed to building a 25-bed portable hospital in Liberia, but Obama is expected to announce the construction of 17 Ebola treatment centers in the region, with some 1,700 treatment beds. Along with building facilities to quarantine and treat Ebola patients, the U.S. military will train up to 500 local health workers a week to handle the disease and the crisis.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.