MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak - U.S. and Britain to send military

[Vibrant62]

http://www.macleans.ca/news/world/msf-request-for-military-help-exposes-severity-of-ebola-outbreak/
Helen Branswell, September 3, 2014

TORONTO ? Just two weeks ago the international president of Medecins Sans Frontieres insisted she didn?t want to be quoted saying military hospitals should be deployed to West Africa?s Ebola zone to bolster the woefully undermanned response efforts there ? even though she herself raised the possibility.

Dr. Joanne Liu had just returned from touring treatment facilities MSF ? also known as Doctors Without Borders ? is operating in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, which are engulfed in the worst Ebola outbreak on record.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, she proposed tapping into military assistance, then quickly backed away when asked to be more explicit.

snip

So it is all the more indicative of how dire conditions are in West Africa that Liu called on governments to deploy this type of expertise Tuesday when she addressed a special Ebola briefing for the United Nations. Without this help, Liu said, this outbreak will not stop.

?To curb the epidemic, it is imperative that states immediately deploy civilian and military assets with expertise in biohazard containment,? she told the UN.

?I call upon you to dispatch your disaster response teams, backed by the full weight of your logistical capabilities?. Without this deployment, we will never get the epidemic under control.?

snip

?If MSF is willing to countenance assistance from military sources with the provisos they?ve already put in place, that just tells you how serious the situation is on the ground.?

The caveats Liu laid out were that any military assets and personnel deployed to the Ebola zone should not be used for quarantine, containment, or crowd control measures.

snip

The Ebola outbreak needs a stronger response than UN and non-governmental organizations are able to provide, Cornish says.

?It needs the response of states to have such independent capacities, and it needs their buy-in, their action, as well as the WHO?s overall vision in order to co-ordinate this across West Africa. And we?re really not seeing that,? he says.

MSF has been calling for assistance for some time. The treatment facilities it has opened have been overwhelmed, treating far more patients than they have beds. The organization has said it can?t staff more facilities and has asked others to step into the breach. So far it is still waiting.

snip

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak

Obama: U.S. must fight Ebola now or face long-term risk

WASHINGTON Sun Sep 7, 2014 10:04am EDT

(Reuters) - ...

Obama told NBC's "Meet the Press" that the outbreak, which has killed 2,100 people in African five countries, was unlikely to spread to the United States in the short term.

But he added there could be implications if Washington and other powers did not send urgently needed equipment, public health workers and other supplies to the region.

"If we don't make that effort now, and this spreads not just through Africa but other parts of the world, there's the prospect then that the virus mutates. It becomes more easily transmittable," he said in the interview broadcast on Sunday.

"And then it could be a serious danger to the United States," he added.
...
"We're going to have to get U.S. military assets just to set up, for example, isolation units and equipment there, to provide security for public health workers surging from around the world," Obama said in the interview.
...
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/07/us-health-ebola-obama-idUSKBN0H20F020140907

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak

Here is a video of that interview:

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014...s-could-mutate-if-outbreak-is-not-controlled/

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak - Obama commits "US military assets" for set-up & health care worker security

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak - Obama commits "US military assets" for set-up & health care worker security

Britain to send military, humanitarian experts to fight Ebola

FREETOWN Mon Sep 8, 2014 3:47pm BST

(Reuters) - Britain will send military and humanitarian experts to Sierra Leone to set up a medical treatment centre to care for victims of the Ebola outbreak there, the British High Commission said on its Twitter feed on Monday.
...

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/09/08/uk-health-ebola-leone-idUKKBN0H31I920140908

 

[Shiloh]

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak - U.S. and Britain to send military

Source: http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/09/u-s-military-joins-ebola-response-in-west-africa/


U.S. Military Joins Ebola Response in West Africa
By Carey L. Biron

WASHINGTON, Sep 8 2014 (IPS) - The U.S. military over the weekend formally began to support the international response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Advocates of the move, including prominent voices in global health, are lauding the Pentagon?s particularly robust logistical capacities, which nearly all observers say are desperately needed as the epidemic expands at an increasing rate...

...Yet already multiple concerns have arisen over the scope of the mission ? including whether it is strong enough at the outset as well as whether it could become too broad in future...

...The military?s response, however, has already begun ? albeit apparently on a very small scale for now, and in just a single Ebola-hit country.

A Defence Department spokesperson told IPS that, over the weekend, Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel approved the deployment of a ?25-bed deployable hospital facility, equipment, and the support necessary to establish the facility? in Liberia. For now, this is the extent of the approved response.

The spokesperson was quick to note that additional planning is underway, but emphasised that the Pentagon is responding only to requests made by other federal agencies and taking no lead role. Further, its commitment to the hospital in Liberia, the country most affected by the outbreak, is limited.

The Department of Defence ?will not have a permanent presence at the facility and will not provide direct patient care, but will ensure that supplies are maintained at the hospital and provide periodic support required to keep the hospital facility functioning for up to 180 days,? the spokesperson said.

?This approach provides for the establishment of the hospital facility in the shortest possible period of time ? Once the deployable hospital facility is established, it will be transferred to the Government of Liberia.?...

 

[JJackson]

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak - U.S. and Britain to send military

Source: http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/09/u-s-military-joins-ebola-response-in-west-africa/


U.S. Military Joins Ebola Response in West Africa
By Carey L. Biron

WASHINGTON, Sep 8 2014 (IPS) - The U.S. military over the weekend formally began to support the international response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Advocates of the move, including prominent voices in global health, are lauding the Pentagon’s particularly robust logistical capacities, which nearly all observers say are desperately needed as the epidemic expands at an increasing rate...

...Yet already multiple concerns have arisen over the scope of the mission – including whether it is strong enough at the outset as well as whether it could become too broad in future...

...The military’s response, however, has already begun – albeit apparently on a very small scale for now, and in just a single Ebola-hit country.

A Defence Department spokesperson told IPS that, over the weekend, Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel approved the deployment of a “25-bed deployable hospital facility, equipment, and the support necessary to establish the facility” in Liberia. For now, this is the extent of the approved response.

The spokesperson was quick to note that additional planning is underway, but emphasised that the Pentagon is responding only to requests made by other federal agencies and taking no lead role. Further, its commitment to the hospital in Liberia, the country most affected by the outbreak, is limited.

The Department of Defence “will not have a permanent presence at the facility and will not provide direct patient care, but will ensure that supplies are maintained at the hospital and provide periodic support required to keep the hospital facility functioning for up to 180 days,” the spokesperson said.

“This approach provides for the establishment of the hospital facility in the shortest possible period of time … Once the deployable hospital facility is established, it will be transferred to the Government of Liberia.”...

This is a good response in my opinion. It is a small first step but it is trying two approaches. The refurbishment of an existing hospital and setting up of a field hospital. It allows for first hand assessment on the ground in two countries and with two governments and bureaucracies. It also allows an assessment of the two types of help. Given limited time and resources which route will deliver the best outcome setting up tent in football stadia or trying to fix the broken infrastructure.
Smart move by Chuck Hagel. Now we will see if he just got lucky, the test comes in what his next move is. It needs to be quick and decisive once he has adequate feed back from this first step.
I watch with interest.

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak - U.S. and Britain to send military

Aid groups, analysts give US military wary welcome in fight against Ebola

September 10, 20141:00PM ET
by Wilson Dizard-@willdizard

Aid agencies have cautiously welcomed the United States? announcement that it would deliver aid to health workers in West African countries hit by an Ebola outbreak that has killed at least 2,296 people.
...
?In this particular case, the Ebola emergency is so severe and the logistical challenges are so serious and seem so insurmountable that you have humanitarian actors that are normally very resistant to any kind of military aid asking for the military to get involved,? said Laura Seay, a Colby College assistant professor of government specializing in African issues.

?This is one of those things where you have to be careful what you wish for,? Seay said, adding that it is important that the U.S. military abide by the local governments' protocols.
...
MSF, whose health care workers have fought on the front lines against Ebola, welcomed the promise of supplies and equipment from the U.S. military, but sounded a note of caution in a statement issued on Monday.

?MSF welcomes President Obama's commitment to deploy medical assets to help establish isolation units in the Ebola-affected region, and reiterates the need for this support to be of medical nature only,? the statement read.

?Aid workers do not need additional security support in the affected region,? it added.

WHO also said it does not believe the U.S. military needs to act as a security force, and it does not recommend that it do so.

Meredith Stakem, West Africa aid coordinator for nonprofit organization Catholic Relief Services (CRS), echoed MSF?s view.

Speaking from Dakar, Senegal ? the latest country to see a case of the virus ? Stakem said that the unprecedented scale of the latest Ebola outbreak requires major supply and logistical services, but that security for doctors wasn?t necessary. She said the mere presence of men with weapons could undermine the entire mission.

?What we don?t want to see is the U.S. military going in with guns and enforcing quarantines. It will prevent their ability to do anything else,? Stakem said, adding that U.S. forces should respect the sovereignty and cultures of the local governments in delivering aid.

The U.S. Department of Defense?s Africa operations center, Africom, did not respond to a request for comment.

More...
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/9/8/ebola-u-s-military.html

 

[Emily]

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak - U.S. and Britain to send military

Armed Forces of Liberia Chief General warns that imposters of the military are engaging in rape, harassment and armed robbery during ebola curfew hours

 

[Gemineye]

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak - U.S. and Britain to send military

"MSF, whose health care workers have fought on the front lines against Ebola, welcomed the promise of supplies and equipment from the U.S. military, but sounded a note of caution in a statement issued on Monday.

?MSF welcomes President Obama's commitment to deploy medical assets to help establish isolation units in the Ebola-affected region, and reiterates the need for this support to be of medical nature only,? the statement read.

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The MSF has a lot of gall to ask for help from the U.S. and then dictate what kind of help they want. Hey, MSF: BEGGARS CAN'T BE CHOOSERS!

 

[Emily]

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak - U.S. and Britain to send military

Gemineye, I don't read their statement as dictating, but rather distancing if the 'security services' part of US intervention goes sour.

 

[Gemineye]

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak - U.S. and Britain to send military

Emily, that is probably true. I am diametrically opposed to sending any U.S. military to Africa. The politicians will try to run the show and locals will probably consider it an invasion. I'm tired of the U.S, trying to do the right thing and then getting kicked in the teeth for it.

 

[Nika]

Re: MSF request for military help exposes severity of Ebola outbreak - U.S. and Britain to send military

Nothing about this outbreak is business as usual for the US Military. I dont think there is a reason to expect the worst right off the bat. Give all sides the benefit of the doubt.