US Officials in Liberia Confident in CDC’s Ebola Guidelines

Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images(MONROVIA, Liberia) — The top U.S. officials leading America’s response against Ebola in Liberia are comfortable that the CDC safety guidelines U.S. personnel have been using are protecting them from contracting the deadly virus. With as many as 4,000 U.S. military personnel expected to serve in Liberia in the coming months, the officials say the guidelines have succeeded in protecting troops from Ebola.

“I have great confidence in the CDC guidelines,” said Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams, who is commanding the U.S. military forces in Liberia. “I don’t plan on adjusting any of the current guidelines.”

U.S. Ambassador Debra Malac said her embassy staff has followed the guidelines for six months that she said “are keeping us safe.” “We have no need or feel any need to have to make a change or deviate from those guidelines,” she said. “It has been very successful.”

Malac also said that closing the borders of countries where Ebola has manifested itself is not a good idea because Liberia’s poor infrastructure and adverse environmental conditions make importing resources essential.

“Isolating these countries is not the way to address the epidemic,” Malac said. “We need to be able to get people and resources and supplies in.”

She said the reduction of commercial flights has made it “very difficult to get things like food as well as supplies that are critically needed in order to help address this epidemic.”

Maj. Gen. Williams said the 500 U.S. military personnel serving as part of the Liberia mission are also following the strict guidelines to minimize any potential exposure to the virus.

“We don’t shake hands. I wash my hands a lot, OK, with chlorine. We step on chlorine. We don’t shake hands. We keep our distance. And as I mentioned before, soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines are not in contact with folks infected with the Ebola virus. They just are not and are not going to be,” Williams added.

Williams said he himself is more worried about contracting malaria, which is why he has disciplined himself to take a malaria pill with his breakfast every morning. “That’s my biggest concern,” he said.

Additionally, U.S. personnel are constantly monitored for symptoms of Ebola. Williams said he had his temperature taken eight times Wednesday. In the event of an Ebola infection within the U.S. ranks, Williams insisted that stabilizing the patient in Liberia before evacuation is of utmost importance.

Should military service members become infected in Liberia, Williams said they will be quarantined and then stabilized for transportation back to the United States. He indicated that a private airplane might be used for transportation, if needed.

The general said military construction crews have nearly finished building the 25-bed medical facility that will provide care to health care professionals who become ill with Ebola. He said the lack of infrastructure and weather conditions has posed a challenge to the crews that are set to build 17 100-bed Ebola Treatment Units in Liberia.

“I wouldn’t say we underestimated, but I think we didn’t realize how wet it would be here, and that’s become somewhat of a challenge,” Williams said.

The West African nation, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, is known for its tropical climate and tempestuous, rainy summers. The adverse weather conditions are compounded by a lack of infrastructure; the poor roadways that link the more remote areas of the region become even less accessible when drenched. And it is not just getting to Liberia’s isolated regions; what to say on arrival poses another challenge.

“We have that overall challenge of understanding how we can communicate with all parts of the country,” said Ambassador Malac, who also noted very low literacy rates and disarray in the wake of Liberia’s devastating civil war as communication barriers.

Williams said that, fortunately, the rainy season in Liberia is expected to end soon with the onset of cooler weather that should ease the challenges U.S. construction crews are facing.

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