Air Force reservists from Joint Base Lewis McChord in Pierce County have flown “more than 10” aid missions to Africa, according to the Seattle Times, transporting supplies to the region using C-17 cargo planes. The aid comes as part of Africa’s ongoing fight against the deadly Ebola epidemic.

As fear of the Ebola virus grows here at home – with the recent death of the first patient diagnosed in the United States on Wednesday, and warnings from some researchers that the virus may spread more easily than previously thought – 446th Airlift Wing Commander Col. Scott McLaughlin struck a reassuring tone in the Times, noting that the Air Force reservists delivering aid spend only a brief time on the ground in Africa and are screened by a flight surgeon before returning. The Times piece also notes that the JBLM reservists are not transporting patients infected wiht Ebola.

Meanwhile, Sandi Doughton of the Times reports that the United States is likely to spend $1 billion responding to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, citing a statement given by Dr. Francis Collins, who spoke at a Gates Foundation conference in Seattle yesterday. Along with contributions from other nations, Collins says the total pledged to fight Ebola is “going to be an enormous number” – driving home a broader point that our failure to invest proactively in the development of an Ebola vaccination and other drugs used to fight the virus could have prevented the massive price tag.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $50 million in the fight against Ebola, including pushing the development of ZMapp, described by the Times as “a promising drug that protected monkeys from Ebola even days after the animals were infected.”