The Department of Defense announced Tuesday night that all U.S. troops would soon be pulled from Ebola zones in Liberia. NBC News reported that about half of the forces originally sent to the region have already been taken out.
According to The New York Times, only 100 of the 3,000 troops who have been sent to Liberia will still be there come April. The source explained that while the deadly disease remains an issue for the area, its spread has slowed down significantly and the situation is no longer officially considered a crisis. While just a few months ago medical workers were handling upwards of 1,000 cases each week, there have only been 12 cases reported in the past three weeks. Originally, public health experts anticipated a death toll of 1 million by the end of January, but domestic and international aid helped keep this rate down to 9,000 casualties.
The 100 troops who will stay in Liberia will be in charge of running the special medical centers that were constructed by the U.S. They will continue to be available in the event that the disease starts to spread quickly once again. While officials say this scenario is highly unlikely, the troops will also be in charge of teaching Liberian health workers how to use medical testing equipment donated by the U.S. American forces are also helping local authorities track down people who came in contact with Ebola patients in an effort to completely stop the spread of the virus.
NBC noted that upon returning to the U.S., troops will still be subject to a 21-day quarantine period to ensure that they have not been infected with the disease.