Most of the U.S. military personnel deployed in West Africa in response to Ebola outbreak will go home by April 30, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
At the height of the epidemic, 2,800 U.S. military personnel were deployed to West Africa. "Given the success of the U.S. response to the crisis, the majority of DOD personnel in West Africa will now return home," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement.
Today, around 1,500 of them are already back to their duty stations and nearly all will return by April 30, he said, adding that as the personnel return they will be quarantined and monitored for Ebola.
After April 30, the U.S. will still leave behind about 100 defense employees to continue to support the effort against Ebola, according to the official. "They will build on a strong military partnership with the Armed Forces of Liberia to enhance their Ebola response efforts."
By Ruchi Singh