Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered the military to prepare and train a 30-member medical support team that could provide short-term help to civilian health professionals if there are more Ebola cases in the United States.
His spokesman, Rear Adm. John Kirby, says the team drawn from across the military services will include 20 critical care nurses, five doctors trained in infectious diseases and five trainers in infectious disease protocols.
The team will go to Fort Sam Houston in Texas for training in infection control and special protective equipment. Training is expected to start within the next week.
Kirby says the team won't be sent to West Africa or elsewhere overseas. He says members will be called up for service in the U.S. only if needed by public health officials.
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