Washington, October 9 (RHC)-- The United States is deploying 100 Marines to Liberia to help fight spread of Ebola in the West African country, the Pentagon says. The troops are part of a 3,600-strong force to fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa that has claimed thousands of lives.

There are already 350 U.S. military personnel on the ground in Liberia, operating mobile laboratories, establishing treatment facilities, training healthcare workers and assisting with logistics.

A Pentagon official said on Tuesday that U.S. troops could come into direct contact with the deadly Ebola virus while testing blood samples from potential patients in Liberia.

Some members of Congress have raised concerns that Obama's plan could spread the Ebola virus into the United States, where one patient has already been diagnosed with the disease. He died on Wednesday in a hospital in Texas.