COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus-based Ohio Army National Guard unit is expected to go to West Africa to help fight the Ebola outbreak in the region.
The Guard says 130 soldiers from the 16th Engineer Brigade may deploy in April, and could be in the region for up to a year. There are no plans for them to provide direct support to Ebola patients.
The soldiers specialize in construction and infrastructure operations and could be involved in a mission such as oversight of construction of clinics to treat Ebola patients. The soldiers will receive training and protective equipment before deployment, and all personnel returning from Africa will be monitored to ensure they have not contracted Ebola, according to the Guard.
A surgeon who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone has died of the disease in the U.S. Dr. Martin Salia, a native of Sierra Leone but a permanent resident of the U.S., died Monday at a hospital in Omaha.
Ohio Army National Guard officials expect to know more about the possible deployment later this week.
The Pentagon says that all U.S. service members deploying to West Africa will get briefings on medical threats and the highest medical and safety protocols, which they will follow before, during and after deployment.
All soldiers re-deploying from Africa will undergo an observation program to ensure they are healthy and have not contracted the Ebola virus.