WASHINGTON (AP) — Under pressure to select an Ebola “czar” to lead the U.S. response against the disease, President Barack Obama conceded Thursday it “may be appropriate” to designate a single individual to head the administration effort.

Obama also said he is “not philosophically opposed” to a travel ban from the Ebola-afflicted region of West Africa “if that is the thing that is going to keep the American people safe.” But he said such a measure could be counterproductive.