U.S. soldiers returning from Ebola-struck Liberia are not under strict quarantine at an Army outpost in Vicenza, Italy, despite media reports to the contrary, according to a high-level source with knowledge on the subject.
News articles stating that Italian military police in full hazmat suits are escorting U.S. soldiers arriving from Liberia into 21-day isolation at Caserma Ederle, a small outpost in Vicenza with a healthcare facility equivalent to a nurse’s station, are inaccurate, the source told Infowars.
It did appear strange the Army would use Caserma Ederle as a quarantine facility for Ebola considering the outpost allows family members to accompany soldiers assigned to the station.
The Vicenza Health Center, which serves soldiers at Caserma Ederle, doesn’t even have an emergency room and relies on a local Italian hospital, San Bortolo, for emergency care, meaning that Caserma Ederle is less equipped to deal with an Ebola outbreak than most major hospitals.
“The Health Center is capable of treating acute minor illnesses, lacerations, follow-up screening after discharge from the local Italian hospital,” a Defense Department web site states.
So, in other words, the Army is claiming that a small outpost with a nurse’s station is serving as a quarantine facility for a dangerous disease.
It’s quite plausible the Army is attempting to bolster its image after a series of media reports which highlighted the Pentagon’s lack of preparations for its troops being deployed to the Ebola hot zone of West Africa.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon claimed Ebola is not a huge risk to the troops, yet the reassurance carried little weight.
“I am confident we can ensure our service members’ safety and the safety of the American people,” U.S. Army Gen. David Rodriguez, the commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said, adding that any soldier who contracts Ebola will be flown back to the U.S. for treatment.
But on Friday, a Marine Corps Major General admitted the Defense Dept. can only evacuate four Ebola-infected service members out of Africa per week because the military only has one plane equipped with a bio-containment unit.
“The aircraft can hold one at a time and can do four movements a week at this point,” Maj. Gen. Lariviere told the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee.
Even worse, soldiers preparing for deployment to the Ebola hot zone are given just four hours of Ebola-related training before leaving to West Africa.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m kind of scared,” Sgt. Jesus Sanchez told USA Today after receiving the training.
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