In the event of an Ebola outbreak in the U.S., the military medical team will be prepared to help civilian hospitals. The team is expected to finish the training by Monday evening as stated by doctors. The team has been training at the San Antonio Military Medical Center in Texas. The team of 30 was formed after an order from the Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. The team is meant to help civilian medical staff treat Ebola in the U.S. if called. The members of the team were then selected and notice given on Monday. However, it was not until Wednesday that the training began. Training includes everything and anything concerning preventing the spread of the virus while still ensuring that the best treatment is offered to the patients. Some of the key features of the training include putting on and taking off the protective suits. Treating patients while still in the suits is part of the training as is the appropriate disposal of needles which are contaminated. Cmdr. James Lawler a physician for infectious diseases and research working at the Naval Medical Research Center is a member of the team. He has already had some experience treating patients with the Ebola virus in the West African state of Guinea. He said that caring for Ebola patients is a labor intensive activity. The biggest challenge is staying focused on safety as practitioners have to work long hours in the isolation facilities. He cautioned and advised medical experts in one statement, 'Do everything deliberately.' This was echoed by Col. John DeGoes who is a command surgeon for the U.S. Northern Command. He added as well that using the protective equipment skillfully is vital. 'It could be the difference between getting infected or not, a situation with noteworthy repercussions.' According to Army Maj. Rachel Park, the hardest part of the whole procedure is not really the treatment but rather the removal of the protective suit. It is a painstaking procedure that requires lots of hand-washing and disinfection of door handles. The suit and gowns should be removed in such that clean fabrics and hands never come into contact with the contaminated fabrics. 'It is a procedure that must be done properly,' she said. This training is a good step towards containing the dreaded Ebola virus should it ever make it into the U.S. and worse yet if it becomes an epidemic. Ebola has been the cause of death for over 4000 people across West Africa.
