# Should the US really be sending troops to Africa to combat Ebola? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 20, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027 "2014-09-20T17:44:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/1 "2014-09-20T17:44:31Z")
Apparently Obama is sending 3000 troops to the infected areas in Africa to help fight Ebola? Is this really a good idea? [Certainly some doctors think not.](http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/doctors-irresponsible-to-send-troops-to-combat-ebola/) > [@](#): > > According to the World Health Organization, at least 4,985 people have contracted Ebola and at least 2,461 have died. Several doctors have fallen ill with Ebola, and two of them have died. New reports indicate a Doctors Without Borders staff member has contracted the virus in Liberia and will be evacuated to France for treatment. > > “You can see that these doctors, who are highly trained people, got themselves infected,” said Dr. Lee Hieb, former president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. “So sending troops into an area, if they’re dealing one-on-one with a patient, they’re not going to be able to protect themselves very well. It’s not easy to [prevent transmission], because you get tired and you get careless and you make some simple mistakes. All it takes is one virus particle.” > > Dr. Hieb said quarantine measures should be taken to control the outbreak and prevent Ebola from coming to America. > [@](#): > > Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, has warned that the U.S. must “treat Ebola as a wake-up call.” > > “What African troops are doing is shooting people who cross borders or violate quarantine,” Orient told WND, reacting to news of the U.S. troop deployment. “Is that what we plan to support?” > > She added, “Africans are already very suspicious of us. How will they react to an army setting up hospitals?” > > Orient called the planned U.S. deployment a “dubious mission,” warning that the nightmarish scenario could bring Ebola to America. > > “There is definitely a risk,” she said. “It seems irresponsible to send more people there when the ones already there are having trouble leaving. Probably anyone who has been exposed should be quarantined for 25 days since the last exposure.” > > Orient echoed the concerns of Elaine Donelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, who told WND, “I’m just appalled. Judging from this, the United States seems to have a very confused vision of what ‘national security’ means.” So, 3000 troops leave the US and 3000 return having been exposed to one of the most contagious and deadly diseases on Earth? This does not seem like a good idea to me. ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/2 "2014-09-20T17:49:03Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > So, 3000 troops leave the US and 3000 return having been exposed to one of the most contagious and deadly diseases on Earth? This does not seem like a good idea to me. First, a nitpick: Ebola is NOT one of the most contagious diseases on earth. It is actually HARD to contract. That said, I also think it is less susceptible to bullets than, say, hygiene. Maybe this is just an excuse to get our troops closer to ISIL which, as Lindsey Graham noted, will kill us all. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/3 "2014-09-20T17:51:13Z")
Yes, I think it’s a good idea. The US definitely needs to be involved in this before the situation completely spins out of control (the rest of the west as well, especially the Europeans). Troops are needed because, sadly, a lot of folks over there are scared and lashing out, as per an article earlier where an aid team was mostly wiped out by locals. You do realize that none of these troops are going to be brought back to the US until they are tested and screened, right? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/4 "2014-09-20T18:06:51Z")
It’s worth noting that: The AAPS is a right-wing organization, chock-a-block with nutjobbery, originally dedicated to opposing socialized medicine (and still is, though its conservative agenda has broadened over the years.) The Center for Military Readiness was created to oppose homosexuality in the armed forces and women in combat roles; they are rife with hard-right agenda-riven social conservatives. And World Net Daily is typically about as reliable as last week’s tea leaves. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/5 "2014-09-20T18:07:25Z")
Troops can do a lot of good, or escalate tensions, depending upon their mission. The military has experience setting up field hospitals in less-than-ideal circumstances. As treatment beds are in short supply, troops with construction supplies and suitable medical material are a good idea. The military is excellent at coordinating logistics and has resources such as helicopters to swiftly move needed material and personnel where needed. Trained medical personnel are needed desperately. They need doctors, nurses, and people with medical training in infectious disease management for patient care. They need personnel with proper training to care for the dead in such a way as to prevent spreading the disease. And this is the overall approach [Obama has urged](http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/16/health/obama-ebola/) for US military involvement. Good call. The US and other Western governments need to step up with the funds and resources needed to combat this epidemic that does not respect borders. The best options for containing Ebola require acting now. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/6 "2014-09-20T18:40:09Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Apparently Obama is sending 3000 troops to the infected areas in Africa to help fight Ebola? Is this really a good idea? [Certainly some doctors think not.](http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/doctors-irresponsible-to-send-troops-to-combat-ebola/) I have zero expertise on these issues. but am familiar with “dialog” a place called post-rational America and knew immediately what the correct answer was. (Admittedly those who “know” that Hussein Obama is on a mission to sterilize you and drag you to the death camps would be less likely to guess the correct answer.) Do some Dopers think the huge Federal government lacks any expertise about contagious diseases and needs to get its knowledge from random blogs? Do you think the opposition to Obama generally bases its blather on reality? What a joke! Having decided to respond in the thread, I Googled. WND is run by right-wing nutcases. [Here’s the only woman quoted in OP I bothered to Google.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Donnelly_(writer)) OP, does this help? ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/7 "2014-09-20T19:53:09Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > OP, does this help? It does actually. Clearly the tainted sources cast this in another light. BTW **SiXSwordS** upthread states that Ebola is hard to contract. This might be a dumb question but then what’s all the fuss about ‘exponential spread’, etc? How can a hard to contract disease be spreading so rapidly? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/8 "2014-09-20T20:13:26Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > It does actually. Clearly the tainted sources cast this in another light. > > BTW **SiXSwordS** upthread states that Ebola is hard to contract. This might be a dumb question but then what’s all the fuss about ‘exponential spread’, etc? How can a hard to contract disease be spreading so rapidly? The locals aren’t responding properly for one thing. Attacking aid teams has already been mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/9 "2014-09-20T21:11:17Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > It does actually. Clearly the tainted sources cast this in another light. > > BTW **SiXSwordS** upthread states that Ebola is hard to contract. This might be a dumb question but then what’s all the fuss about ‘exponential spread’, etc? How can a hard to contract disease be spreading so rapidly? It is spreading rapidly because the public health infrastructure is terrible. With really basic precautions (as in, don’t share a bed with someone who is extremely ill) it’s not easy to catch. Unfortunately, conditions are very poor, and thanks to the abuses of a nasty civil war it’s hard to spread information through many channels. ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/10 "2014-09-20T21:37:18Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > It is spreading rapidly because the public health infrastructure is terrible. With really basic precautions (as in, don’t share a bed with someone who is extremely ill) it’s not easy to catch. Unfortunately, conditions are very poor, and thanks to the abuses of a nasty civil war it’s hard to spread information through many channels. There are a number of other reasons, as well. Tradition in many of these areas includes touching of the dead, and after a victim dies also happens to be when ebola is most contagious. Bushmeat is another probable infection vector, and in the most effected areas there is a big reliance on bush meat. Finally, many of the locals think ebola is a conspiracy by the government and that the medical teams are part of the conspiracy, as shown by almost all of a team that included doctors, reporters, and others being murdered recently when trying to enter a village to provide aid. They supposedly are very distrustful of modern medicine. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/11 "2014-09-20T21:38:52Z")
So, when it’s Obama vs. a nasty flesh-eating virus, the right wing still sides with the virus. I wish I were surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/12 "2014-09-20T22:06:28Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > So, 3000 troops leave the US and 3000 return having been exposed to one of the most contagious and deadly diseases on Earth? This does not seem like a good idea to me. [/Nitpick]It is NOT “the most contagious” disease on Earth. Far from it. There are LOTS of diseases a lot easier to catch, like the common cold, influenza, herpes, and chicken pox. Nor is it “the most deadly disease” on Earth. It’s pretty bad, but there are diseases like rabies that have a fatality rate a heck of a lot closer to 100% than this ebola variant. [Nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/13 "2014-09-20T22:07:34Z")
> [@XT](#): > > You do realize that none of these troops are going to be brought back to the US until they are tested and screened, right? Either that, or they’re quarantined for a week or three after they get back here. Not a big deal in a First World nation. ---
**Author:** ![Amberlei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Amberlei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amberlei)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/14 "2014-09-20T22:21:22Z")
I read a recent interview with Heinz Feldman, a researcher at Rocky Mountain Labs that just returned from Liberia. He had spent three weeks there performing diagnostic tests. From his first-hand account, it would appear that there are many ways the US military, as well as military from other countries, could prove very beneficial in helping to end the current ebola epidemic. Current facilities are inadequate to care for all of the ebola patients and there are insufficient laboratories to test for ebola. According to Heinz, some existing facilities don’t have the ability to administer IVs, thus the only hydration patients can receive is oral, which is particularly problematic if someone is frequently throwing up. As has been mentioned upthread, the military has experience with establishing medical facilities and providing care, thus could provide palliative care that could prove life-saving. Additionally, military laboratories routinely perform PCR analysis and could easily take over diagnostic testing. One of the most troubling problems, in terms of ensuring ebola is contained, lies with the lack of training airport workers have in identifying people who may be showing signs of ebola infection. This is something that our military could easily address and it may be a good thing for personnel with more familiarity with technology to oversee. > [@](#): > > I actually think passing through the airport on my way out was the highest risk. They are bringing hundreds of people into a very confined space with a lot of direct contact, so if you get a patient into that environment, you are going to have exposures. It is a ridiculous situation. Also, they are checking your temperature three times before you get into the airport, but if you look at the people that do this kind of work, they don’t really know how to use the devices. They are writing down temperatures of 32°C, which everybody should know is impossible for a living person. All the checks they do are completely useless because they are done by people who are not well trained or overwhelmed by the number of passengers. It is just a disaster, and it needs to be fixed. [http://news.sciencemag.org/africa/2014/09/confronting-ebola-virologist-liberias-hot-zone](http://news.sciencemag.org/africa/2014/09/confronting-ebola-virologist-liberias-hot-zone) ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/15 "2014-09-20T22:28:35Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > So, 3000 troops leave the US and 3000 return having been exposed to one of the most contagious and deadly diseases on Earth? > [@Broomstick](#): > > [/Nitpick]It is NOT “the most contagious” disease on Earth. Far from it. There are LOTS of diseases a lot easier to catch, like the common cold, influenza, herpes, and chicken pox. > > Nor is it “the most deadly disease” on Earth. It’s pretty bad, but there are diseases like rabies that have a fatality rate a heck of a lot closer to 100% than this ebola variant. [Nitpick] He’s not wrong. Other diseases might have higher transmission ratios and low fatality ratios, or higher fatality ratios and low transmission ratios, but if you’re talking about being contagious _and_ deadly, ebola is in the top four. ---
**Author:** ![DingoelGringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@DingoelGringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DingoelGringo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/16 "2014-09-20T22:28:57Z")
They got these real tiny nanobullets to kill viruses? ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/17 "2014-09-20T22:32:35Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > BTW **SiXSwordS** upthread states that Ebola is hard to contract. This might be a dumb question but then what’s all the fuss about ‘exponential spread’, etc? How can a hard to contract disease be spreading so rapidly? Above answers pretty much cover it, but for more information, read the first two or so pages of [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=729979). Seriously. Humans like panicking about the next apocalyptic crisis, but in reality ebola presents a very small threat to most first world countries, especially the US. In Africa, of course, it’s a whole other story, but there should be no help withheld because of fear of it reaching us. ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/18 "2014-09-20T23:08:56Z")
I participated in a humanitarian deployment to Central and South America in 2008. We were not responding to a specific threat, we were just doing six months of general help. We deployed in USS Kearsarge, an Amphibious Assault Ship. Due to the nature of their mission in war, they have the largest hospital afloat, other than the actual hospital ships. The also carry a large number of vehicles and cargo, and can land up to 10 helicopters simultaneously on deck. We had 6 helicopters, 4 huge CH-53’s for carrying construction crews and their equipment, and 2 MH-60S’s for carrying doctors and civilians. I think that this will probably be the setup that they use. It keeps the bulk of the support crew offshore to keep them out of the hot zone, and has really good decontamination and medical facilities for those that do go into the hot zone. Also, when President Obama made a West African trip several years ago, they sent one of these ships as a command post and emergency hospital in case anything happened. It was a 3 day trip for the president. It took the ship 2 weeks to get from Norfolk to wherever he was going, and 2 weeks to get back. If I was still active, I would be worried if I was sent on this mission, but I know that there are many safeguards in place to keep us safe. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/19 "2014-09-21T00:53:11Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The locals aren’t responding properly for one thing. Attacking aid teams has already been mentioned. At least if we send a military unit, they can shoot back. [URL=“[http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/](http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/)”] ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027/20 "2014-09-21T05:56:12Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > At least if we send a military unit, they can shoot back. > [URL=“[http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/](http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/)”] :rolleyes: That would be just dandy. Would really help the Aid mission if you have a bunch of marauding American soldiers shooting people. I suspect the US military is a lot more disciplined than that. Relief missions are a staple of militaries. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-really-be-sending-troops-to-africa-to-combat-ebola/699027.md?page=2)