Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. –
Airmen and Soldiers from JB Langley-Eustis are deployed to West Africa, conducting the important work underway through USAFRICOM's Joint Task Force UNITED ASSISTANCE. These service members are providing vital support to the international community's humanitarian relief operations in Ebola-stricken African nations. I also suspect that, like me, you are all very proud of the work they are doing. We all should be. They have been the subject of local and national media attention--highlighting the special capabilities they bring and the speed with which they do it.
For one of our deployed teams--the 633d Medical Group's Expeditionary Medical Support System team from Langley--their mission is drawing to a close. They are constructing an expeditionary field hospital for the US Public Health Service's use in caring for international medical workers. That construction is nearing completion, and we expect to have some idea of their return plans soon. For the families of those particular Airmen, we will communicate more details when we have them, through the medical group leadership and our key-spouse networks.
For all of us, the idea of returning service members from West Africa to the local area may drive other questions, given the national attention that the Ebola Virus is receiving. In anticipation of your questions, I offer the following for your consideration.
- This team is conducting the specific mission of setting up the expeditionary medical facility. None have had contact with Ebola patients, and their contact with the local populace has been extremely limited. Additionally, these returning Airmen have been the beneficiaries of the joint task force's very thorough healthcare monitoring protocols since the day they arrived in Africa. As expected, NONE are exhibiting any symptoms of the Ebola Virus Disease and ALL are considered to have NO KNOWN EXPOSURE to the disease.
- Ebola spreads from person to person by direct contact with blood and other bodily fluids (such as sweat, saliva, semen, vomit, and diarrhea) of infected people. People without symptoms are not at risk to spread the disease. Again, ALL of our returning deployers are considered to have NO KNOWN EXPOSURE to the disease.
- Once these Airmen have returned to JB Langley-Eustis, precautions will be taken to ensure the public safety. The Department of Defense has established specific protocols for their continued monitoring. The 633d Medical Group Commander and his staff have worked closely with coordinating agencies to ensure every precaution is taken to protect our community.
- Travel for returning service members will be limited for a period of 21 days, in order to reduce their exposure to other illnesses that might complicate or confuse the monitoring process. During this time, they will continue to receive twice-daily checks for any emerging Ebola Virus symptoms. However, you will likely see them at work or out among family and friends on the base and in the community. That is OK--remember, people without symptoms are not at risk to spread the disease. When you do see them, I encourage you to welcome them home and to rest assured that every precaution has been taken to protect your and their safety.
As I stated earlier, we should all be very proud of the very important work our Airmen and Soldiers are doing in West Africa today. I am also proud of the very thorough and challenging work being done here at home to ensure their return is orchestrated in a safe and secure manner. I hope this summary of our efforts addresses any concerns you might have at this time. In addition, here are links to reputable sources of information on this subject, should you want to do more research.
- US Army Public Health Command - http://phc.amedd.army.mil/Pages/default.aspx
- Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center - http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcphc/program-and-policy-support/Pages/Ebola- Virus-Disease.aspx
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/
- World Health Organization - http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en/
Please feel free to contact the 633d Air Base Wing Public Affairs office at 757-764-5701, should you have any questions.