Pentagon is learning how to treat Ebola in troops -- just in case

The Pentagon is working to ensure its military hospitals in the USA can treat troops who may be sickened by Ebola during their deployment to West Africa to fight the deadly contagion.

With only a handful of civilian hospitals across the country currently equipped to care for Ebola patients — whose medical treatment requires elaborate isolation procedures — the military is working on bringing its facilities up to speed.

It's doing that by determining which of its facilities are capable or will soon meet criteria to treat those with the virus, said Air Force Col. Edward Thomas, spokesman for Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

While Thomas said he couldn't provide additional details on how many military hospitals are already able to treat Ebola, at least one — Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. — recently conducted exercises in preparation.

Staff at Walter Reed conducted an Ebola treatment drill Oct. 24, and has been planning for dealing with patients sickened by the virus since August , said Sandy Dean, hospital spokeswoman.

About 1,100 of the 3,900 troops being sent to the region have already been deployed. The military personnel are not treating Ebola patients, but rather are building clinics, training medical personnel and testing blood samples for the presence of the virus.

A team drawn from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the office of the Secretary of Defense and the Defense Health Agency is assessing how many beds should be available across the military medical system, Thomas said.

The military hopes such preparations will ease the minds of family members who are understandably worried about the welfare of their loved ones deployed to West Africa, said Joyce Raezer, executive director of the National Military Family Association.

"Families are nervous about the known and the unknown," she said. "If there are multiple service members who've become infected and must be evacuated, where will they be sent?"

The efforts come as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday ordered troops who return to the U.S. after deployment to West Africa to be isolated for 21 days — the incubation period for Ebola — even if they are symptom-free.

In addition, the Pentagon is building portable isolation units that allow up to 12 Ebola patients to be transported on a single military aircraft. That capability should be up and running by January, Defense Department spokeswoman Jennifer Elzea said. Until then, the U.S. military is prepared to use a private contractor based in Georgia to fly soldiers home if necessary using a private jet.

Raezer said families are worried not only about their loved ones' welfare, but also how the average American will react when a servicemember returns home.

"They know this deployment is different for many reasons, including some of the craziness here at home regarding people returning from Liberia," she said. "What happens when the servicemembers come back home after the deployment? We're hoping people are more knowledgeable and don't overreact."