Leading the News:

West Africa Ebola Outbreak -

On January 8th, the United Nations (U.N.) World Health Organization (WHO) announced the most advanced Ebola vaccine candidate will enter Phase III clinical trials in West Africa in January and February 2015. If proven effective, the vaccine will be available for deployment just a few months later.

On January 8th, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) provided an update on Operation United Assistance, which has cost $385 million to date. The Pentagon announced that 450 U.S. military personnel are in the process of returning from deployments to West Africa to contain the Ebola virus. U.S. service members returning from Ebola-affected countries in Africa are currently in quarantine at the Army base in Baumholder, Germany, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and at Fort Hood and Fort Bliss in Texas. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Martin Dempsey will brief Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel later this month on recommendations related to the continuation of the quarantine policy.