U.S. To Begin Ebola Hospital Equipment Lift To Liberia

The first planeload of hospital equipment in the U.S. military's battle against West Africa's deadly Ebola outbreak will arrive in Liberia on Friday, a senior administration official said on Wednesday.  The United States hopes its expanded effort to contain the spread of the virus will help rally other countries in ramping up the global response to the epidemic, U.S. aid official Nancy Lindborg told a U.S. House of Representatives committee.  The plane is the first of 13 air shipments headed for Monrovia, carrying equipment for a 25-bed hospital to be built in Liberia's capital.

The facility will be staffed by 65 Americans who will treat healthcare workers infected while fighting the worst outbreak of the virus on record, according to Lindborg. The epidemic has killed nearly 2,500 people, about half those infected.  Army Major General Darryl Williams, who is leading the military operation, arrived in Liberia on Tuesday to sketch out plans for the effort announced by President Barack Obama that day.

The administration on Tuesday outlined a dramatic expansion of the American response to Ebola. The United States will send 3,000 military engineers, medical personnel and other troops to West Africa. They will build 17 treatment centers with 100 beds each and train thousands of healthcare workers...