The White House on Tuesday said President Obama did not need to designate an Ebola czar, as demanded by some Republicans, insisting that the administration could limit the spread of the deadly virus.
“We continue to believe that the risk of an Ebola outbreak in the United States is exceedingly low,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in the wake of the second diagnosed case of Ebola in the U.S.
“We have a structure in place,” Earnest added when asked about Obama appointing an Ebola czar. “We have a very clear line of responsibility.”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., among others, have called for the post, contending that the Obama administration has been caught off guard by the spread of the disease.
The World Health Organization on Tuesday said the Ebola death rate has spiked to 70 percent, calling for a swifter response from the international community.
In Dallas, health officials are monitoring Nina Pham, the nurse who contracted Ebola after treating Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan. Federal officials have been unable to pinpoint how many health workers were in direct contact with Duncan, who died Wednesday, raising fears of additional Ebola cases in the U.S.
