Top US Military Commander in Africa Says Ebola Mission Could Last a Year

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The top U.S. military commander in Africa said on Tuesday that the mission to combat Ebola going on in Liberia could last at least a year.

Earliest indications were that the operation would last at least six months, but Gen. David Rodriguez told reporters Tuesday that it could be more like 12 months. “I’m sure it’ll be about a year,” he said, “at this point, but that’s just a guess. And again, we’ll have to play that by ear because it’s all about the function, the transmission rates and when that curve starts going down.”

U.S. military personnel will allegedly not come in contact with Ebola-infected individuals, though Rodriguez initially misspoke in saying that specialists would come into contact with Ebola blood samples during the course of their work. In a statement released later Tuesday, Rodriguez clarified that, “skilled and trained personnel from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center” would come in contact with samples, but not patients.

A major challenge in the U.S. response to the Ebola outbreak, Rodriguez noted, has been the inability of Liberia to absorb” U.S. aid. The first six months are expected to cost about $750 million, he said.

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