Ebola cases decreasing in Liberia. U.S. troops fighting to contain the Ebola outbreak in Liberia have seen a significant decrease in new cases, the top Army general on the ground there said. On Thursday, there were nine new confirmed cases and 30 possible or suspected cases, compared with 52 confirmed and 80 possible or suspected cases in mid-September, said Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, commander of Joint Forces Command-United Assistance and the 101st Airborne Division. We dont want to declare victory and get complacent, Volesky said. We want to keep the momentum going. The top military commander in Africa shared a similar sentiment Wednesday during a briefing with reporters at the Pentagon. Were in a good position now. The trend lines are all moving in the right direction, said Gen. David Rodriguez, commanding general of U.S. Africa Command. While it is too early to declare success, Liberia has made encouraging advances in containing the spread of Ebola. Rodriguez also said the current force of about 2,900 troops is probably the peak, and the entire force may complete the mission and leave West Africa as early as this summer. Related: Troops fighting Ebola may come home soon Health officials say the rate of new Ebola infections in Liberia has been declining for several weeks. But the virus continues to spread in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Mali, where there is no major U.S. military support effort. Volesky, who spoke by phone Thursday from Liberia with Army Times, said he remains cautiously optimistic about the shrinking number of new Ebola cases. This virus, weve just got to keep the hammer on it, he said. U.S. military leaders will have a decision point in January, Volesky said. Were making an assessment with AFRICOM to look at the conditions on the ground and the needs, and well go forward from there, he said. If the momentum is going in the right direction, and [they] dont need us to go anywhere else, well look at adjusting the force to get to the right capability and the right size. Right now there are about 2,500 U.S. troops in Liberia, including about 1,200 from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and about 250 in Senegal. This is the first country Ive been in 14 years where theyve been happy to see me everywhere Ive been, Volesky said. Everywhere I go in the country, without exception, and Ive been to all corners of the compass, everyone is happy to see us. What the Department of Defense brings to the fight is speed, flexibility and confidence. In Liberia, the U.S. military is supporting the Liberian government and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The joint forces command includes medical, sustainment, logistics and engineer soldiers. It also has an aviation task force from the 1st Armored Division that deployed with UH-60 Black Hawks and CH-47 Chinooks. Without them, we couldnt get anywhere, Volesky said. We are flying helicopters every minute of every day. And the military brought with it some unique capabilities to fill gaps USAID and the government of Liberia didnt have, Volesky said.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 11:40:49 +0000
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