this can be accomplished in liberia... >> narrator: liberia was ideal. the country was an ally of the united states. it had a large, untapped labor pool and miles and miles of land for planting rubber trees. >> the 90,000 acres was divided into 45 divisions, each division having hundreds of trees about 12 feet apart by 15 feet apart. so you had eight-and-a-half million rubber trees all in rows. >> narrator: in 1926, liberia offered firestone a chance to develop up to a million acres of land at six cents an acre. >> the liberian negotiators were not knowledgeable about these things. so firestone got the deal that said they would rent huge acres of land for small amounts, for a long period of time. but i don't think that original deal was in the very best interest of the country. >> narrator: the deal was controversial from the start. but for the liberian government, it marked the beginning of a convenient business partnership. >> firestone was huge in every way, and the revenues were absolutely crucial. so what would happen would be that the government, w

we're talking about one for 100,000 in liberia. one doctor for 100,000 in liberia. and that's before 324 health workers have died from ebola. so you can just imagine the gap. one thing that's critical to the health gap, we cannot be only reactive. any time there's an outbreak, this is when we decide to train. we need to build a stronger health care system. we need to build a stronger preparedness system. and all of these countries, and we need to focus on workforce, health workforce development. because, again, it's not just the infectious diseases. it's the malaria. it's the safe delivery. it's dee rhea. it's vac teen preventable diseases that children are dying from. i think we're on track in terms of training health care workers for the ebola response. but, what we're doing in our ebola treatment or ebola training facilities is that we will be turning it in the next couple of months to an infectious disease academy. that covers much more beyond ebola. and this is a sustainability aspect that we're encouraging all of our colleagues to look at. what comes beyond eb

we're talking about one for 100,000 in liberia. one doctor for 100,000 in liberia. and that's before 324 health workers have died from ebola. so you can just imagine the gap. one thing that's critical to the health gap, we cannot be only reactive. any time there's an outbreak, this is when we decide to train. we need to build a stronger health care system. we need to build a stronger preparedness system. and all of these countries, and we need to focus on workforce, health workforce development. because, again, it's not just the infectious diseases. it's the malaria. it's the safe delivery. it's dee rhea. it's vac teen preventable diseases that children are dying from. i think we're on track in terms of training health care workers for the ebola response. but, what we're doing in our ebola treatment or ebola training facilities is that we will be turning it in the next couple of months to an infectious disease academy. that covers much more beyond ebola. and this is a sustainability aspect that we're encouraging all of our colleagues to look at. what comes beyond eb

we're talking about one for 100,000 in liberia. one doctor for 100,000 in liberia. and that's before 324 health workers have died from ebola. so you can just imagine the gap. one thing that's critical to the health gap, we cannot be only reactive. any time there's an outbreak, this is when we decide to train. we need to build a stronger health care system. we need to build a stronger preparedness system. and all of these countries, and we need to focus on workforce, health workforce development. because, again, it's not just the infectious diseases. it's the malaria. it's the safe delivery. it's dee rhea. it's vac teen preventable diseases that children are dying from. i think we're on track in terms of training health care workers for the ebola response. but, what we're doing in our ebola treatment or ebola training facilities is that we will be turning it in the next couple of months to an infectious disease academy. that covers much more beyond ebola. and this is a sustainability aspect that we're encouraging all of our colleagues to look at. what comes beyond eb

that is a very steep reduction in liberia. in sierra leone, we think there are just under 2000 cases. we still think there's a very high transmission rate. we are working hard to take the lessons we have learned in liberia to our british colleagues without the uk military on the ground and building treatment units. to take what we have learned in liberia and put it in sierra leone. in guinea we have fewer cases but they are concentrated in it difficult to reach area in the forest. we're just now seeing a major effort ramp up in the forest region, some of it supported by the united states and other supported by the french. >> you mentioned the international response, in an october we saw the u.n. come with a report and secretary of state john kerry made passionate, urgent request for countries to step up and do their part, i am wondering if you have seen a response or if you are still struggling. >> we have seen a response, from late -- from early september, president obama has been very involved in getting other countries, say

liberia is the worst hit country, for now other countries with troops in liberia are staying put, but they are concerned. >> we have more than 500 troops in liberia, we have a hospital there. so we are not alarmed, we're not panicked. because we have taken adequate measures to keep our troops, so they remain safe. >> the three countries worst affected by ebola were already facing challenges. liberia is still a troubled country after conflicts. sierra leone is a nation suffering in the aftermath of its own civil war. and guinea with coups and conflict in its recent past. here at u.n. headquarters there is deep concern not only about the medical emergency but the threat of a breakdown in security. >> the crisis of this magnitude, this horrible situation can at any time give rise breakage in the law and order and the civility of the country. as i said, institutions are still not very strong and the trains are enormous. >> the u.n. security town and general assembly will both be meeting in the next few days to discuss the von going ebola crisis. james bays, al jazeera, the united nations.

efforts are focussed on liberia, we have more staff in sierra leone than in liberia because the needs are greater there at the moment. in sierra leone the british government has come in in a big way with assistance. we're working very closely with the uk to provide the information and need back and guidance and partnership that is most effective. but everything from laboratory testing to communications expertise, to contact tracing, outbreak control, to logistics are things cdc along with doh and others and the department of defense which has come in in a very helpful way are doing. there have been encouraging trends in some parts of each of the three countries. i believe those encouraging trends are fundamentally proof of principle that we can still stop ebola. but i've heard at times some sense of the problem is over already. i'm very concerned by that perspective because it's nowhere near over. it's going to be a very long, hard fight. because every single one of those cases that's emerging and they're now many hundreds, probably more than a thousand cases a week, emerging in west

is this working now in liberia? >> yes, so that database and the android app are being used in monrovia, throughout the city now, and i think it is one of many pieces contribute in, hopefully, to the continued decline in new cases in liberia. >> it must've investors decision you made to go to liberia, given how contagious ebola is. can you talk about the decision you made, for other people who are weighing this right now? case, i knew i would not be treating ebola patients. i would be working with i.t. personnel and with people at the ministry of health. there's always that little bit of fear, some small level of risk given the virus is infecting thousands of people containedit is not as as in the u.s. and new york city or dallas or somewhere like that . so there was a little fear, but at the same time, ebola really is spread by bodily fluids a very sick people so i wasn't -- i did not think the risk to me was anything like what the risk is health care workers -- those kinds of people -- are facing. i have a lot of

in liberia for example, the ed in september active igned for 10,000 cases in liberia, today we are for fewer than that so we encourage our teams to adapt the plans. they are going to start opening 10 or 20 beds, we are to have a rapid reaction for rural areas. so we're thinking how can you transport through helicopter to the rural community so with could get a diagnosis, as opposed to having to wait for days. has a big impactand how you can control the epidemic. being flexible and adaptable, on delivering the of keeping us safe, those are the overall things that we need to continue to do. having on pact it is work, in south sudan and others? have built the largest most complex disaster reaction in west africa to serve as a platform that works in liberia, guinea, sierra leone. is assistant to move as fast as we can, we had to draw people and resources from many other world gs around the sudan, whether the potential epidemic were die children could because they're not getting enough food and medical support. to syria, to syria, where there is 11 million people with medical needs. the oth

the fact is the military will have more americans in liberia than in the other department. >> liberia is the epicenter of the ebola outbreak gripping west africa. under orders from commander-in- chief obama, the united states is sending hundreds of military personnel from bases in colorado and texas to build treatment facilities in africa for ebola patients and administer humanitarian relief. defense secretary hagel said the plan to isolate us troops for 21 days before their return was developed in consultation with military families who, he said, very much wanted a safety valve, unquote, to prevent the spread of ebola. liberia has long-standing historical ties to the united states. it was founded in 1817 as a colony for freed american slaves to be resettled in africa. and declared itself to be a free republican by governor j. j. roberts in 1847 under a constitution patterned after that of the united states. many liberians can claim descent from african americans who settled in liberia in the 19th century. and interestingly, its principal port city is named buchanan. >> buchanan. what

an impact would be liberia. they don't have enough healthcare workers or train healthcare workers to provide the care needed to be given to the people over there her family is worried about her safety, her daughter has asked her not to go. >> it is hard, but somebodien has to do it. we can't all sit here and just watch people die on the t.v., it keeps going up. and then we just ignore it. >> mchas to do it. >> right now she says her home country needs her, more. >> she intends to be prepared when she does go back, she mans to get training from the cdc, on how to treat ebola patients. when we return, the american dream sold out from under them. >> 18 years. other 18 years you worked and poured your heart into where you live. to make the house a home. that your children have grown up in the, your memories are here. what do we do? we fight. >> a report from fault lines on how the foreclosure crisis continues to hit home. those who lost everything due to fight back, and who is making money off their pain. this award

>> i was in liberia in july. i came back the 23rd. because of this virus, i'm not working right now. >> you weren't around anyone that had ebola. you were tested. it came back negative. you work in the health sector. your employer said don't come back to work. administrative reasons. are you being paid? >> i'm not. not a penny. my car was repossessed because of this. >> because of a virus that you don't have. no one in your family has it. >> not even in africa family back home are looking to me for help. i'm getting calls every day. the money in my account is gone. >> there's no job in liberia. it's very limited. they depend on us for survival. >> you start begging for bread. most of us here we come here to work. you are eligible for food stamps. would food stamps feed my people in africa? >> you have friends and family back home in liberia. you're worried about them. you're losing family members. yet you are dealing here with a very different problem, which is people joking about something that is incredibly serious. >> this affects

they arrived in liberia october 27. the full complement is staff thing of 70 core officers, each of whom voluntarily accepted the assignment to provide direct care for ebola patients. additional training was completed in liberia with support of ngos such as doctors without borders and the meddle call corps. we have the commitment. have gone through management protocols. on november 12, the mmu accepted its first patient, a liberian health care worker. the fourth patient is soon to be admitted. four overlapping teams of 70 officers will be scheduled for rotations to approximately 60-day deployments for an estimated six months of operations at the mmu. in conclusion the safety of the personnel is the highest priority. we are making every effort to ensure that all core officers on the ground are working in an environment to minimize and the risk to personal safety and security following guidance from the cdc. to ensure the safety of the officers, familieses, friends, co-workers and the communities in which they live, work

west point, the capital of liberia. it created more internal problems, spread the disease further and eroded what little trust was left in the national government. more than 50,000 people live in shacks in west point. it is the perfect environment for the disease to radically spread. there is also limited education about the disease that meant public health officials weren't able to get ahead of of some of the cultural that will challenges that speed up transmission. rates of ebola, particularly around the bure yal of victimvi many wanted to ensure they were given proper bure yals, which meant removed the body or washing the bodies themselves.

right in liberia. and we have a hospital there so we are not alarmed the way we are not panicked because we have taken measures to keep our troops, you know, so they remain safe. >> reporter: all the three countries most effected by ebola are places that were already facing huge challenges, u.n. troops are still needed in liberia and still a troubled country after a devastating conflict and the u.n. peace keepingly mission in sierra leone may have closed over a year ago but it's a nation suffering from the aftermath of its own civil war and guinea is an extremely power country with coups and conflict in its resent past. here at u.n. headquarters there is deep concern not just about the medical emergency created by ebola but also about the threat of a break down in security. >> the crisis of this magnitude is a horrible situation and can at any time give worries to breakage in the law an order and in the stability of the country. as i said institutions are still not very strong and the strains a are, en

>>> i traveled to a neighborhood known as little liberia. many refugees. one woman told me she feels like she's in liberia because of the stigma here in the united states. don't miss this conversation. if yand you're talking toevere rheumyour rheumatologiste me, about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. this is humira giving me new perspective. doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. humira works for many adults. it targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu

than 500 troobs in liberia. we have a hospital here. so we ignore it. we are not alarmed or panicked. we have taken adequate measures to keep our troops. all the three countries most affected by ebola - places that were casing huge challenges. u.n. troops - still needed in liberia, a troubled country after a devastating conflict. the u.n. peacekeeping nation may have closed a year ago, but it's a nation suffering from the aftermath from its own civil war. and guinea is a poor country with coups and conflicts in its past. >> reporter: this is not just about the emergency created by ebola, but with about the threat of breakdown. the crisis of this magnitude, the horrible situation can at any time give rise to a breakage in the law and order, and in the stability of the country. as i said, the institutions are still not very strong, and the strains are enormous. the u.n. security council and general assembly will be meeting in the next few days to discuss the ongoing ebola crisis. james bays, al jazeera of the unit

torbay, that the rate of liberia is approximately 26%. that is far lower than the average fatality rate in the three affected countries. i am wondering, what is being done there to achieve those remarkable results in terms of mitigating fatality? so, if you could speak to those issues. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i would actually start with the last question about the low fatality rate of the ebola treatment unit. we are not using any miraculous drugs or any testing drugs they are. what we are doing is working with the community to make sure patients are referred to the unit as soon as possible. that has been one of the major errors in the wearing mortality rates. as you have seen in the u.s., those caught early on and sent to the hospital survived and those that relate to not make it, unfortunately. for us that is extremely import. it is titration, balance of electrolytes, making sure people are actually healthy enough for them to fight the virus on their own. one very critical component of our success has been the u.s. navy lab that was

good -- i have spent a part of seven years in liberia. i can tell you about another health team members died of ebola because of a lack of personal protective equipment. don it cause they didn't or doff it, it is because they didn't have it. we have had a few cases in the united states and at this point, every hospital in the united states have bought ppe they will never need, which has made the pipeline to west africa dry up. we are about to send several on ebola in rk liberia and we're having trouble finding enough personal protective equipment together. so i just wanted to add that to our discussion because we about where we k need this agreement and make he gets there -- equipment and make changes their. thing i was thinking is that all this makes for a wonderful research -- lucky we can get bleach sometimes, server could translate how we can safely dispose waste agreement, bodies -- equipment, bodies much more safe level because it is unlikely that we have incinerators cropping up in places like liberia. be interested to hear how you

much better than guinea, sierra leone and liberia. what happened in nigeria when a case accidentally, eric sawer, mr. sawyer went from liberia to nigeria and inadvertently, unfortunately infected a number of health care workers, several of whom died. what they did in nigeria was very effective contact tracing and isolation when someone is shown to have ebola. so the halmark of containment is identify, isolate, and contact trace. and when you do that, you can suppress an outbreak. nigeria did it very well. the other countries were unable because of their resources to do that. >> what is your assessment of the weakest points in the u.s. health care infrastructure to deal with ebola and to deal with other future outbreaks or buy biological weapons? >> well, what we have learned, first of all, is you need awareness. remember, when duncan first came, he was not recognized as a person with ebola even though he was from liberia and it was sick . that should not have happened we have to have the capability of education, equipment, and the hea

troops are still needed in liberia and still a troubled country after a devastating conflict, the u.n. peace keeping mission in sierra leone may have closed over a year ago but it's a nation suffering from the aftermath of its own civil war and guinea is also an extremely poor county with coups and conflict in resent past and at u.n. there is deep concern not just about the medical emergency created by ebola but also about the threat of a break down in security. >> the crisis of this magnitude, this horrible situation can at any time give rise to breakage in the law an order and in the stability of the country. as i said institutions are still not very strong and strains are, enormous. >> reporter: u.n. security council and general assembly will be meeting in the next few days to talk about the on going ebola crisis. james at the u.n. >>> a verdict expected on tuesday in the case of a south korean ferry that capsized in april killing more than 300 people and most of them school children and prosecutors seeking death penalty for the captain and rob mcbride reports saying the court's de

than 500 troops in liberia. we have a hospital there. so we are not alarmed, we are not panicked because we have taken measures to keep our troops so that they remain safe. >> all the three countries most affected by abel in places that already were facing huge challenges. u.n. troops are needed in liberia, a troubled country after devastating conflict. the u.n. peacekeeping mission in sierra leone may have closed over a year ago, but it's a nation suffering in the aftermath of its own civil war, and guinea is an extremely poor country with could yous and conflicts in its past. here in u.n. headquarters there is deep concern not just about the medical emergency created by ebola, but also by the threat of a break down in security. >> the has any attitude of this horrible situation can at any time give rise to breakage in the law and order, and the stability of the country. as i said, the institutions are still not very strong, and trains are enormous. >> the u.n. security council and general assembly will both be

we see the numbers increasing at a much faster rate than liberia. we need to work together, community, treatment, the government, the host government as well as donors and other governments in the military to contain it. liberia could be a really good success story. we shouldn't start celebrating yet. it is still not under control. it is looking positive. if we continue we will get it under control but it is too early to start celebrating. on the individual protection, this is something that is definitely important. this goes back to educating the family but also giving them basic protection, gloves, masks. at the same time we do not want to give a false sense of protection. we do not want them to think that just because they have gloves and a mask they are okay to be near our patient. we need to be sure education takes place properly and they are very well aware of the risks even with protection. that is very critical. ambulance network is very important in all countries. we turn pickup trucks into ambulances. we turn anything we can get our hands

liberia gets 200 inches of rain a year. what's been moving during the rainy season is people by foot. many roads are closed and, therefore, carrying the disease. what's hard to do is get supplies to where they need it to be. that's why it was crucial to build up these logistic networks. in the drying season, you have more freedom of movement for people, is one. which means an increase in spread of disease potentially, but also the temperatures go up. the time that health care workers can spend in their ppe, personal protective equipment, is reduced significantly. so that adds another burden. i will defer. >> senator, thank you very much for the question. intermediate staging base is fully operational at this time with 101st brigade running that operation there. they've established a rotator flights, c-130s down to monrovia. from there we have helicopters on the deck that can take personnel and equipment out to the various locations or to do what they need to do. we've got the -- starting to get the equipment and the personn

constructing 12 ebola treatment units in liberia. training local and third country health-care support personnel, enabling them to serve as first responders in a bowl of treatment units throughout liberia. in all circumstances, the protection of our personnel and the preservation of any additional transmission of the disease remain paramount training factors. there are snow higher operational priority than protecting our department of defense personnel. dod has also increased support to the departments and homeland security. the lead agencies for ebola response in the united states -- by activating a response team capabilities anywhere in the country. they are also focusing on longer-term requirements to counter ebola. that is why we have requested $112 million for the defense advanced research process in this emergency funding request. million will support intermediate efforts aimed at developing technologies that are relevant to the ebola crisis. this includes new research focused on utilizing the antibodies of ebola some progress

the world's worst ever ebola outbreak mostly affected guinea, sierra leone and liberia where workers are going house to house to track down suspected cases, kim vinnell reports. >> reporter: when he's on patrol he gets trade strait to the point. he asks whether anyone has died here recently. >> no way. >> all right. >> never. >> reporter: or whether anyone is sick. it's a routine he will repeat every day until this entire county in liberia's north west is declared ebola free. >> translator: in my county, i am assigned to 40 households in block "c," but there are two of us. for me i have 20 houses i visit daily, among those 20 houses, i have come across three people who were sick. >> reporter: an active case finder, one of a thousand locals recruit today find those who may have ebola and to teach people about the disease. liberian officials believe communities have the power to lower rates of infection. even by simple means. >> translator: since i started this awareness it's encouraging. people are accepting it and some are going by what we are telling them. some forgot about using bu

in liberia, it's thought just 23% of the people who have ebola are being isolated. and burial teams in liberia, guinea, and sierra leone are still in short supply. >> no secret barrier because. [ inaudible ] dead bodies,. [ inaudible ] >> reporter: the u.n. has put $250,000 towards training these ebola detectives. on the frontline battling myths that are still rampant across west africa. >> it's there for you to make the opportunity to believe that ebola is real. >> reporter: it's hoped that they'll prove an effective weapon. kim vinnell, al jazerra. >>> still to come, we'll bring you the latest from istanbul where the head of the roman catholic church is trying to heal an age-old religious division. this is the scene right now at the church where pope francis is. >>> and government workers in kenya pack their bags for fear of further attacks from el that back fighters from somalia. stay with us. for a historic meeting with kubli kahn, leader of the mongolian empire. relive this epic odyssey. people encountered. discoveries made. and now, questions answered. al jaze

that 500 troops in liberia. we have the hospital there, so we are not alarmed the way, we have taken adequate measures to keep our troops so that they remain safe. >> all the three countries most effected by ebola are places that were already facing huge challenges. the u.n. peacekeeping mission in sierra leone may have closed over a year ago, but it is a nation suffering from the aftermath of its own civil war, and guinea is an extremely poor country with coups and conflicts in its recent pass. the emergency created by ebola and the threat of a breakdown in security. >> the crisis of this magnitude, this horrible situation, can at any time give rise to breakage in the law and order. and the stability of the country. as i said, institutions are still not very strong and trains strains are enormous. the u.n. security council and general assembly will both be meeting in the next few days to discuss the ongoing ebola crisis. james bays, al jazeera, of the united nations. >>> a verdict is expected in the case of a s

liberia gets 200 inches of rain a year. what's been moving during the rainy season is people by foot. many roads are closed and, therefore, carrying the disease. what's hard to do is get supplies to where they need it to be. that's why it was crucial to build up these logistic networks. in the drying season, you have more freedom of movement for people, is one. which means an increase in spread of disease potentially, but also the temperatures go up. the time that health care workers can spend in their ppe, personal protective equipment, is reduced significantly. so that adds another burden. i will defer. >> senator, thank you very much for the question. intermediate staging base is fully operational at this time with 101st brigade running that operation there. they've established a rotator flights, c-130s down to monrovia. from there we have helicopters on the deck that can take personnel and equipment out to the various locations or to do what they need to do. we've got the -- starting to get the equipment and the personn

. >>> plus we'll join a volunteer burial team in liberia. ♪ ♪ >>> welcome back. let's recap the headlines now. russia's defense minister is denying reports his troops have crossed the border into eastern ukraine. nato says it has seen columns of russian military equipment entering the country over the past two days. >>> palestinian security officials have accused israeli settlers of setting fire to a mosque in the occupied west bank. >>> china and the u.s. have agreed to drastically reduce their carbon emissions after 2020. it is hoped it will inject momentum into global climate talks due to start in three weeks. >>> myanmar in the diplomatic spotlight over the next few days as it hosts a summit of asian nations. but there are concerns that recent reforms in myanmar may will slipping. >>> flaersd russia and china are also expected to attend. together they are expected to finalize details of cross border trade and travel by next year. attention will also focus on myanmar's questionable human rights record. >> reporter: expectations are high here as international l

there are signs, the number of new cases of ebola in liberia are going down. experts say it's too early to say whether progress has been made or if the worst is still to come. >>> nigeria's president jonathan goodluck formally announced his re-election, a day of a suicide bomber killed 50 people at a school in the north-east. the armed group boko haram has been blamed for the attack. now, europe's mission to land the first space probe on the surface of a comet enters final phase. last minute checks have passed. it's taken 10 years for one of the most complex missions history. we explain. >> reporter: the rosetta spacecraft travelled for more than 6 billion kilometres in pursuit of a comet. it orbits the sun every 6.5 years, passing inside the orbit of mars. if all goes well, it will have a visitor from earth along for the wry. >> here it is, the comet. it's 4km wide and trailing through space at over 65,000km an hour. quite a feat to catch something like this. since august, rosetta has been orbiting the commet. sicientists are working out whee they could land

last month, a canadian journalist was sent to the institution after arriving from liberia. he was tested for the virus, but the results were negative. >>> japanese government officials have agreed to do more to help fight ebola outbreak in west africa. they have announced they'll disburse up to $100 million in additional grant aid to help contain the virus. >> translator: the ebola epidemic poses a threat to international peace and safety. japan has offered assistance before. but the support must be accelerated as the situation remains dire. >> suga says prime minister shinzo abe will explain japan's efforts to tackle the epidemic at next week's apec summit. the government has already pledged $40 million to fight the epidemic. the aid package is currently being disbursed. at the cabinet meeting on friday, suga said the money is being used to provide medical supplies and equipment to guinea, liberia, and sierra leone. the rest will go to fund u.n. activities. he said that the $40 million that abe pledged at the u.n. general assembly will now be put to specific use. >>> a u.s

now it's every day or two, just in liberia. in sierra leon, we're still seeing widespread transmission. in guinea, we've seen now the largest increase in the whole history of the epidemic there in guinea. so big challenges in guinea. and we're deeply concerned about mali. in mali, we already have a cluster of cases with hundreds of exposed people who need to be tracked. so making sure that we do everything possible to get the situation in mali under control so it becomes the next nigeria, which stopped a cluster, rather than the next liberia, which had a countrywide epidemic is the crucial thing to be focusing on now. and that's fla whatour staff are doing. >> brown: what about here in the u.s.? what can be said at this point? is it possible to say it's under control. >> well, at this point, there's no one in the with ebola. that's the first time it's been the case since early september. we have learned a lot about how to treat ebola, how to ensure people caring for people with ebola do so, minimizing their risk of infection, a

west point, the capital of liberia. it created more internal problems, spread the disease further and eroded what little trust was left in the national government. more than 50,000 people live in shacks in west point. it is the perfect environment for the disease to radically spread. there is also limited education about the disease that meant public health officials weren't able to get ahead of of some of the cultural that will challenges that speed up transmission. rates of ebola, particularly around the bure yal of victimvi many wanted to ensure they were given proper bure yals, which meant removed the body or washing the bodies themselves. b bodies are extremely contagious after the person has died. the u.s. and partnership of local governments and ngos along with education campaigns in these countries are working to get ahead of some of these behavioral and cultural challenges. one easy fix has been blanket used white body bags the caretakers are using. there have been some small improvements on the ground. even th

liberia gets 200 inches of rain a year. what's been moving during the rainy season is people by foot. many roads are closed and, therefore, carrying the disease. what's hard to do is get supplies to where they need it to be. that's why it was crucial to build up these logistic networks. in the drying season, you have more freedom of movement for people, is one. which means an increase in spread of disease potentially, but also the temperatures go up. the time that health care workers can spend in their ppe, personal protective equipment, is reduced significantly. so that adds another burden. i will defer. >> senator, thank you very much for the question. intermediate staging base is fully operational at this time with 101st brigade running that operation there. they've established a rotator flights, c-130s down to monrovia. from there we have helicopters on the deck that can take personnel and equipment out to the various locations or to do what they need to do. we've got the -- starting to get the equipment and the personn

constructing 12 ebola treatment units in liberia. training local and third country health care support personnel, enabling them to serve as first responders and etus, ebola treatment unit, throughout liberia. in all circumstances, the protection of our personnel and the preservation of any additional transmission of this disease remain paramount planning factors there is no higher operational priority than protecting our department of defense personnel. dod has also increased support to the departments of health and human service and homeland security, the league agencies for ebola response in the united states, by activating a medical support team that can rap midly augment the centers of disease control convention and capabilities anywhere in the country. we have longer term assignments to combat ebola, requesting $112 million for the defense advance research project agency, darpa, in this emergency funding request. the $112 million for darpa will support intermediate efforts aimed at technologies relevant to the ebola crisis. this