A new military transport system has been designed to move people with highly contagious diseases such as Ebola, the U.S. Department of Defense announced.
The "Transportation Isolation System" will be installed in C-17 and C-130 cargo jets, allowing patients with diseases such as Ebola or Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) to be moved without endangering pilots or crew.
The module will “accommodate the Ebola issue, but it also accommodates airborne viruses,” Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva, of the U.S. Transportation Command (Transcom) said at a press briefing.
The government has purchased 12 of the modules, which would isolate the patient and filter air that moves through the plane, providing protection to others aboard. The Ebola virus is spread through bodily fluids, but SARS and other diseases can spread through the air.
The system was designed and built by St. Louis-based Production Products Manufacturing & Sales Co.
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