U.S. military will need until December to complete Ebola treatment units in Liberia

WASHINGTON POST                 

By Dan Lamothe                       October 15, 2014

The U.S. military continues to grow the force it is deploying to western Africa to assist with the Ebola virus crisis, but it will take until late November or early December to complete all 17 treatment units it has planned, a two-star general said.

Army Maj. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, commander of U.S. Army Africa, told reporters in a phone conference from Liberia on Tuesday that the “lion’s share” of the treatment units will be complete by late November, with a few lagging into December. That exceeds an estimate provided by his commanding officer, Gen. David Rodriguez, who said Oct. 7 that the effort would likely take until mid-November.

The effort has been hampered by heavy rains, among other obstacles.

Army Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams, commanding general of U.S. Army Africa, speaks to U.S. Navy Seabees at the construction site of  a 25-bed U.S.-built hospital for Liberian health workers as part of Operation United Assistance on Oct. 9. (John Moore/Getty Images)

The new Ebola treatment units are a centerpiece of the U.S. assistance effort. U.S. officials have said they will each include 100 beds, and be based not only in Monrovia, but in more remote locations north and south of the city. The first is close to completion, Williams said.

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