President Obama said Saturday that America is not experiencing an Ebola “outbreak” or “epidemic” and that it would be a mistake to cut off West Africa in an attempt to isolate the spread of the deadly virus.
“We know how to fight this disease. We know the protocols. And we know that when they’re followed, they work,” Obama said in his weekly address.
The president stressed that only two Americans have been diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, that the disease is not airborne and that the five Americans who contracted Ebola in West Africa and were brought to the U.S. for treatment have been treated without infecting healthcare workers.
Obama cleared his calendar earlier this week to focus on Ebola. He reportedly focused much of his ire on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a meeting on Wednesday, according to the New York Times.
He appointed Ron Klain as his Ebola czar on Friday, a move Tennessee Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn called “incredibly disappointing.”
Obama said the effort to halt Ebola’s advance must be focused on West Africa, where the outbreak has killed nearly 4,500 people, according to the CDC.
The president warned that America may experience more “isolated” Ebola cases in America, but that “we know how to wage this fight. ”
“If we take the steps that are necessary, if we’re guided by the science-the facts, not fear-then I am absolutely confident that we can prevent a serious outbreak here in the United States, and we can continue to lead the world in this urgent effort,” Obama said.
