Pentagon opens Ebola-testing lab in Africa: U.S. troops opened an Ebola-testing laboratory in Liberia Thursday, the first of several medical facilities it has sent to battle the virus in Africa.
In all, the Pentagon has dispatched 231 personnel to Africa, more than 200 to the Liberian capital of Monrovia. They are the leading edge of as many as 3,000 troops who will construct laboratories and treatment centers for the disease that has ravaged west Africa. They are not expected to treat victims of the disease.
The virus has killed more than 3,300 people in the region, with Liberia hit hardest, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been 1,998 confirmed deaths in Liberia.
Among the Pentagon's Ebola efforts:
• A second laboratory is scheduled to open Friday. Both are manned by personnel from the Naval Medical Research Center.
• A 25-bed hospital for infected medical personnel is expected to open on Oct. 18.
• Construction of two treatment centers for other Ebola victims will begin over the next few days and should be completed by the end of the month.
