Gov. Perry Visits Troops Deploying to West Africa in Fight against Ebola

Gov. Rick Perry today visited U.S. Army troops preparing to deploy to the West African nation of Liberia to help combat the spread of Ebola. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control calls this epidemic in West Africa the largest Ebola outbreak in history.

"In a closely interconnected world what affects people in one part of the globe, if left unchecked, will eventually affect those elsewhere," Gov. Perry said. "Therefore, we must deal with this threat where the epidemic is at its worst. The efforts our troops will undertake to end this outbreak will mean greater safety and security for those in West Africa as well as all of us back at home."

More than 500 troops from the 36th Engineer Brigade, 1st Medical Brigade and 85th Civil Affairs Brigade stationed at Ft. Hood are expected to deploy to Liberia by the end of this month. Approximately 500 troops stationed at Ft. Bliss, but assigned to aviation units at Ft. Hood, will also deploy. Their mission will be constructing facilities to be used in the housing and care of Ebola patients. The troops will not have contact with Ebola patients. The servicemen and women from Ft. Hood are part of a larger deployment recently announced by the Department of Defense that will send more than 3,000 troops to West Africa.

Earlier this week, Gov. Perry announced the creation of the Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response, aimed at assessing and enhancing the state's existing capabilities to prepare for and respond to infectious disease, including the Ebola virus. The task force, made up of experts from around Texas, will develop a strategic emergency management plan for incident command teams and their partners at the state and local levels of government. Gov. Perry has also called on the federal government to implement enhanced screenings of travelers coming into the United States.